Susan Granger’s review of “The Substance” (Working Title Films/MBUI)
‘Tis the season for horror movies, specifically body horror as Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley occupy the same body in “The Substance.”
It’s been many years since Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) got her coveted Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. She’s now an aging actress who has built an empire on her TV aerobics videos: “Sparkle with Elizabeth.”
But then a smarmy, misogynistic executive, aptly named Harvey (Dennis Quaid), decides she’s too old, no longer attractive, and should be replaced by a perkier, prettier younger version. “After 50, it stops,” he tells her – in no uncertain terms.
Elizabeth is so devastated that she crashes her car, only to emerge unscathed but in possession of a ‘thumb drive’ temping her to try a mysteriously futuristic treatment called The Substance., which comes in compartmentalized boxes filled with phosphorescent green liquid, tubing and syringes.
The Substance promises enhancement – “a better version of yourself” – which it delivers. After enduring a gory, grisly, grotesque transformation, naked Elizabeth emerges as a sexy, shiny young doppelganger (Margaret Qualley), who auditions as her nubile replacement and becomes celebrated as Sue, hosting the high-octane “Pump It Up.”
The creepy ‘catch’ is that – while cloned Sue’s lithe gyrations captivate lecherous men of all ages – the following week, elder Elizabeth is back, gazing forlornly in the mirror and facing constant rejection. Somethin’ has gotta give, right?
Obviously channeling Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” still-stunning 61 year-old Demi Moore (“Ghost”) has a renewed shot at stardom, making her ‘comeback,’ as French writer/director Coralie Fargeat (“Revenge”) satirically traces Elizabeth’s stylized journey from desperate to damaged to deranged, detailing The It Girl becoming The Gollum.
At the recent Cannes Film Festival, subversively feminist Fargeat won Best Screenplay and received a 13-minute standing ovation.
FYI: if you’re still intrigued by this cautionary-yet-campy, youth-obsessed concept, “Death Becomes Her” opens on Broadway this Fall…and Margaret Qualley is real-life Andie MacDowell’ daughter; back in 1985, Demi Moore & Andie MacDowell worked together in “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Substance” is a” sleazy, stomach-churning, self-loathing 6, playing in theaters.
