By Jason Osiason

The Musical is about a bitter, completely unhinged theater teacher named Doug Leibowitz, played by Will Brill, who finally snaps and decides the best way to get revenge on his school’s principal and his ex teacher girlfriend is by secretly staging a children’s musical about 9/11. Yes, that is the premise and the movie absolutely commits to how insane that idea is. Doug discovers his ex Abigail, played by Gillian Jacobs, is now dating his nemesis Principal Brady, played with smug delight by Rob Lowe, and instead of coping like a normal adult he channels every ounce of humiliation into the most deranged school production imaginable.

The movie mostly runs on that central meltdown energy. Brill plays Doug like a guy whose ego and resentment have completely fused together, barking directions at a group of increasingly confused kids while insisting this ridiculous production is his artistic masterpiece. The tone lands somewhere between Ryan Murphy glossy camp and the psycho comedic energy of a Jody Hill character study about a guy spiraling in public. It can feel very paint by numbers at times and there are definitely stretches where the humor leans too heavily on Doug just screaming at children for cheap laughs, even if Brill’s commitment keeps it watchable.

But the movie keeps escalating the absurdity until it finally hits the big payoff. When the musical itself finally happens the joke lands in a way that actually makes the whole messy ride feel worth it. The ending comedic release delivers the kind of chaotic payoff the film has been building toward the entire time and turns what felt like a shaggy satire into a surprisingly satisfying punchline. [C+]