The Musical

"It's not personal. It's middle school."

2026 1h 24m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 3

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“It's not personal. It's middle school.”

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Cast

Will Brill
Doug
Gillian Jacobs
Abigail
Rob Lowe
Principal Brady
Nevada Jose
Little Mikey Gomez (LMG)
Melanie Herrera
Lata
Chyler Emery Stern
Cindy
Karen Maruyama
Mrs. Belkin
Michael Strassner
Carson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Giselle Bonilla
Writers: Alexander Heller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mateo Nossa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Devin Dulaney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Will Brill and Gillian Jacobs and Rob Lowe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's not personal. It's middle school.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt37775809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Giselle Bonilla directs. Mateo Nossa scores. Devin Dulaney cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
3Original score by Mateo Nossa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Devin Dulaney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Will Brill and Gillian Jacobs and Rob Lowe carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "It's not personal. It's middle school.".
7IMDB entry: tt37775809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.