2026's First Truly Shocking Comedy Has Scenes You Have To See To Believe [Sundance 2026]

For far too long now, the comedy movie has been disrespected, if not also misunderstood. Ever since the advent of streaming services meant that these companies began swallowing up as many original comedy features as they could, the comedy movie has been denigrated to the level of capital-C Content. This is understandable on paper; comedy, as a genre, is too often thought of as light entertainment — something you'd put on that would be generally inoffensive and easy to swallow. Yet those who love the genre realize that the best comedies can be just as bold, vibrant, daring, and artistic as the most harrowing drama.

That's been proven yet again with the premiere of Giselle Bonilla's brilliant "The Musical" at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The film isn't a star-studded, improv-filled loose collection of bits and ideas in the way that the last couple decades of Judd Apatow- and Adam McKay-inspired comedy movies have been. While it has some comedy veterans leading the cast, the majority of the actors are not just unknowns, but tween children to boot. The script is by first time screenwriter Alexander Heller. Bonilla herself, though a working actress since the mid-2000s, is also making her directing debut with the feature. As such, "The Musical" is a movie whose comedy stems from well-drawn characters and a situation that slowly becomes twisted beyond recognition. It's got a killer premise which leads to some hilariously shocking scenes that you won't soon forget, and it's my pick for the best new film of Sundance 2026.

If you're already intrigued enough to check out "The Musical" whenever it may get a proper release, I'd advise you to read no further. But, if you want a taste of what it entails, then here goes. "The Musical" concerns Doug Leibowitz (Will Brill), a failed playwright turned middle school theatre teacher. It's the start of a new semester, and the previous spring he enjoyed a fling with the beautiful art teacher, Abigail (Gillian Jacobs) — a relationship which fizzled out over the summer break. Hoping to rekindle things, Doug is dismayed to learn that Abigail has already begun dating the school principal, Brady (Rob Lowe). Thanks to this betrayal, as well as Principal Brady's obnoxious desire to get the school an award for being wholesome, Doug decides to scrap the planned performance of "West Side Story." Instead, his class will secretly rehearse and perform a new, original musical he's written ... which is about 9/11.

"The Musical" plays like a particularly demented episode of "Glee," with Doug trying to mold his eager students into small versions of himself, infusing them with bitter and spite-filled theories on the world and other people. While we don't get to see the entire 9/11 musical at the end of the film, we see enough of it that the movie recalls the brilliant and underseen "Theater Camp" (pictured above). The stroke of genius that Bonilla and Heller add on top of all this is how the film is presented not as a wacky comedy (which, rest assured, it is) but as a macabre psychological thriller. The script contains brooding, Paul Schrader-style voiceover narration, the score by Mateo Nossa recalls the work of Bernard Herrmann, and Bonilla's compositions and cuts are reminiscent of vintage Brian De Palma.

In the interest of keeping the surprise, I haven't mentioned the various aforementioned scenes that are unbelievably in "The Musical." (Suffice to say that yes, one of the children portrays Rudy Giuliani, and there is a dramatization of the attacks themselves.) What I will underline is that "The Musical" is more than just a comedy with a twisted concept. This is not a movie in which we're intended to laugh at a pathetic character going off the deep end and taking his students with him. Instead, the movie is a paean to anyone who is filled with spite, holds a grudge, and looks to do something about it that isn't violent or physically destructive.

Sure, there's a kinship to something like "Breaking Bad" or "Better Call Saul" (pictured above) in the way Doug is a sympathetic protagonist driven to do disreputable things. Yet Bonilla never lets things tip over into actual drama the way those Vince Gilligan shows do. As such, "The Musical" feels like a wish-fulfillment film for anyone who's been jilted by a lover, or works for a boss they hate, or wants to quit their job in as theatrical a fashion as possible. Every actor is excellent in it, particularly the kids, and Brill makes a deliciously obsessive, neurotic, spiteful lead. By appealing to so much of our less reputable tendencies, Bonilla has made a comedy that plays incredibly well with an audience; watching it felt like a release valve going off. 

It's not clear as of this writing when and where "The Musical" will be released. Hopefully, the film will get picked up by a distributor who gives it the chance to play in theaters around the country. Otherwise, we may need to seek revenge on the streamers who are keeping comedy down.