The Musical

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The Musical

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1h 24m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

63%

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43 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Doug, a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher, learns his ex is dating his nemesis, the school principal. To get revenge and cost him a Blue Ribbon Award, Doug secretly stages the most inappropriate play imaginable.

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Juan Barquin

RogerEbert.com

2 days ago

1/4

Giselle Bonilla’s feature debut simply doesn’t have anything worth saying. It is neither funny nor provocative, so what, if anything, is left?

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Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

3 days ago

We find some welcome respite from this role in the young actors playing Doug’s theater students, who are genuinely funny as competitive overachievers.

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Liz Shannon Miller

Consequence

Feb 3, 2026

B-

It never feels like director Giselle Bonilla and writer Alexander Heller want us to think of Doug as a heroic figure, but he's an unlikeable enough presence that it's hard to be sure of their intentions.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

1 day ago

People who like cringe comedy will enjoy The Musical more than people who don't like this type of dark satire. A socially awkward teacher gets love-triangle revenge on two colleagues by staging a controversial musical for his middle school students.

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Brennan Klein

Screen Rant

3 days ago

4/10

The only sizable laughs come from Doug's interactions with his students, while the somber, leaden adult-led scenes that form the crux of the movie's character study just lie flat and slowly rot in front of you.

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

4 days ago

B

Isn’t always inspired, but most of the endeavor is highly amusing, delivering a viewing experience with surprises and a demented sense of humor that’s capably handled by director Giselle Bonilla.

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Maria

12 hrs ago

Such an original and incredibly funny movie. Will Brill's comedy chops were amazing and the kids were brilliant and if course Rib Lowe was so dynamic. It's a MUST SEE!!!

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Nikki

22 hrs ago

This movie is hilarious! Like, laugh out loud. Mikey is the GOAT.

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Don

1 day ago

Fantastic Indie feature! Raw, rebellious,outrageous and hilarious dark humor! Rob Lowe amazing what you did here with this wonderful young Director Giselle Bonilla!

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Tom B

2 days ago

Interesting idea but, imho, poorly executed.

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Tess L

@RT94672344 3 hrs ago

A hilarious comedy that keeps you wanting more from the writer, Alex Heller !! A must watch. Can’t wait to see what he puts out next.

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Julie A

@snacksizecinema 13 hrs ago

It's simply not funny, maybe could've been a good story but went nowhere.

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Giselle Bonilla

Director

Will Brill

Doug

Gillian Jacobs

Abigail

Rob Lowe

Principal Brady

Nevada Jose

Little Mikey Gomez

Melanie Herrera

Actor

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Synopsis

Doug, a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher, learns his ex is dating his nemesis, the school principal. To get revenge and cost him a Blue Ribbon Award, Doug secretly stages the most inappropriate play imaginable.

Director: Giselle Bonilla
Producer: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Alexander Heller, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus
Screenwriter: Alexander Heller
Distributor: Blue Harbor Entertainment
Production Co: Unapologetic Film, Megamix
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 24m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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