TIFF 2026 Review: Girl Group

You would be forgiven if you didn’t realize that Girl Group was Rebel Wilson’s second turn in the director’s chair.  Back in 2024, Wilson came to the Toronto International Film Festival with her directorial debut called The Deb.  It was an original musical and a fairly solid film, however, it ended up embroiled in several legal battles that ended up burying its release (you can find it now on digital platforms).  

So I can’t blame Wilson for wanting another chance to make her mark. And she’s still sticking with what she knows best. This time not a full-blown musical, but a movie with music.  However, Girl Group is about as close to Pitch Perfect as she could get without being able to make Pitch Perfect, while still actually referencing Pitch Perfect.  As someone who has a soft spot for those movies, I understand bringing a similar tone to this film.  Using music from Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, Girl Group is updated for more current audiences, even if the storyline feels a bit retread.  

Wilson plays Tassie, who back in the 90’s was a member of a Spice Girls-esque group called Gurlfriends.  They skyrocketed to fame, but when an egotistical Tassie tried to go solo, she flopped, causing her to fall even further off the rails.  Many years, and many parties and drinks later, Tassie gets a DUI and is sentenced to community service.  That takes her to a local youth centre where she’s put in charge of a group of Gen-Z singers.   

While Tassie initially sees this as a way to redeem her image, especially with the news she has been replaced on a Gurlfriends reunion tour (by Nicole Scherzinger no less), she eventually becomes more invested.  The group enters into a competition to find the newest girl group in an American Idol type show, and it’s here Tassie has to decide what’s most important – her own success or that of these young women.

Most important to this film working are the younger actors who elevate some of the more dated aspects of this movie.  For a film that originally seemed to want to highlight some of the generational divide between Tassie and her protégés, that message gets lost in the mix. The adult supporting cast is also not at fault, Randall Park, Sally Hawkins and Jennifer Coolidge are all absolutely fine with what they’re given.  Scherzinger however is the surprise MVP.  

There are some jokes that hit, there’s a good amount that don’t, and there are shocking ones that just seem totally outdated and in poor taste.  Considering Wilson also wrote the screenplay, it is surprising that she had quite a few weight-related ‘jokes’ in there, including one where a character mentions Tassie lookes like she ‘ate Sabrina Carpenter.’  While she has previously commented that she liked playing the character ‘Fat Amy’ in the Pitch Perfect films, it doesn’t exactly scream positive body image, especially if the target audience for this movie is apt to be teens.  Even Coolidge’s manager character gets in the mix, recruiting Tassie to be the spokesperson for a laxative bar.  Those gags feel like they’re stuck with Tassie in the 90’s. We can do better. 

There was opportunity here to really make this film have a strong, ‘girl power’ message and instead it just repeats what we’ve seen before.  And look, there is nothing wrong with making a movie that is comfort viewing, like Pitch Perfect. I can do Anna Kendrick’s Cup Song routine for the number of times I’ve watched it. But truthfully, I would rather have The Deb on repeat.  At least it felt new. Despite a really infectious end song in “Ride or Die”, and some heartwarming moments involving the younger cast members, it’s not enough to really overshadow what could have been.

Girl Group had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival Friday, September 11th.  For more information head to tiff.net