Rebel Wilson brings Girl Group to Toronto

Rebel Wilson has brought her pop comedy Girl Group to the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film played in Gala Presentations, the festival's showcase for high-profile titles. Wilson is the director-screenwriter, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It runs 1 hour 43 minutes.

Wilson also stars as Tassie Young. She is a former member of the fictional group Gurlfriends who left for a solo career that fizzled. Ordered to do community service, Tassie becomes musical coach to a group of teenagers at a youth centre.

The centre is run by Ken, played by Randall Park. The teens are played by newcomers cast as the film's pop band, according to Variety.

Around them is a cast drawn from real pop history. Jennifer Coolidge plays manager Gabriella, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film also features appearances by Mel C, Shaznay Lewis, Ashley Roberts and Nicole Scherzinger.

That lineup reunites Scherzinger with a fellow former Pussycat Dolls member, according to Variety. Roberts was also a member of the group.

For fans, this means plenty of familiar faces alongside new ones. The production has been described as a music-driven comedy that celebrates girl bands, according to Variety. Variety has separately called it a bawdy pop comedy starring Wilson, in a review by Natalia Winkelman published on 13 September.

Wilson had previously been set to make her directorial debut with The Deb, an Australian musical comedy based on the hit stage musical about a debutante, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Hollywood Reporter's review of Girl Group, published on 16 September, gave its bottom line as "Slapdash and tuneless."