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.
The Debut has generally received positive reviews.
Cinafilm features reviews from top contributing critics and users.
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Moira Macdonald (1,892) for Seattle Times (3,524) on 15 Aug 2002
Review of The Debut (2000)
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Kevin Thomas (1,201) for Los Angeles Times (12,977) on 04 Oct 2001
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Laura Sinagra (110) for Village Voice (8,525) on 14 Oct 2002
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Kevin M. Williams (14) for Chicago Tribune (6,211) on 21 Mar 2002
Review of The Debut (2000)
Review of The Debut (2000)
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Steve M (1,420) on 12 May 2014
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Richard M (1,299) on 12 May 2014
Review of The Debut (2000)
By Michelle C (871) on 12 May 2014
More About This Page
The Debut was released in 2000 and has generally received positive reviews.
Online reviewers have written 51 reviews, giving The Debut (2000) an average rating of 68%.
Overall, cinema-goers prefer the movie, giving it an average score of 82%, compared to film critics, who gave it a lower average score of 71%. Amateur reviewers were more impressed with The Debut than critics were.
With a score of 68%, The Debut is above the average Cinafilm score for movies made in 2000, which stands at 58%.
Other movies from 2000 with similar scores include films like Pay It Forward, The Isle and Chopper.
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