I had fair warning that The Substance would be gross, and it is, living up to its body horror and monster horror labels. Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging movie star now celebrity aerobics instructor with a line of videos and cable-TV show appearances (think Jane Fonda, I guess?). Moore was around 60 when this picture was shot and, while “she’s in great shape for her age” (and still likes taking it all off too), it’s not hard to see, all things considered, why Elisabeth might be tempted by the appeal of the mysterious “The Substance” product, an underground drug and procedure that produce ... Margaret Qualley, as “Sue.” There’s a lot of detail associated with this premise—only one activation per person, seven days of a stabilizing regime, and mandatory switching back and forth every seven days. As usual with anything that involves seven days in a horror show, they’re not fooling around with these rules. You really shouldn’t break them. But break them, of course, they do. The Substance is associated with a lot of “You Are One” mumbo-jumbo messaging with the instructions that the principals pay no attention to. We, the helpless viewers, can’t help thinking they really should abide by the rules. There’s not very much that’s original in The Substance, a mash of stories involving Cinderella, Carrie, and others. Break the rules and your horses turn into pumpkins in the middle of the prom. But The Substance has its moments. In fact, at two hours twenty minutes, it has at least 30 minutes of too many moments. If you’re there for the special effects you might enjoy every minute of it. I was intrigued by a lot of it. The whole way of getting the drug is suitably big city (Los Angeles) urban nightmare, though implausible. The problems between Elisabeth and Sue and how each can harm the other are interesting surprises. There’s not much by way of characters. Dennis Quaid is notably bad as Harvey, their manager. At least he seems to be having fun, but I winced every time he was onscreen. In many ways The Substance is just the latest chapter in the story of Demi Moore’s love for her own body, which I think ultimately has to be taken as wholesome. Margaret Qualley does not appear nearly as comfortable with the nudity but she’s a trouper. The Substance was nominated for the big prize last spring but ultimately only came away with a Cannes Film Festival award for Best Screenplay, and most recently got some Oscars love too. Worth a look if you’re not particularly squeamish.
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