The Debut
The Debut
R | 18 May 2000 (USA)
The Debut Trailers

Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.

Reviews
Holstra

Boring, long, and too preachy.

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Beystiman

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

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Darin

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

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Walter Sloane

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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