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The Stuff
Good Stuff
1985
Review: May 22, 2006
Director: Larry Cohen
Starring: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Scott Bloom, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino
Yes!
THE SETUP:
Mysterious substance oozes out of the ground… and becomes a food sensation, although it also controls people’s minds.
DISCUSSION:
Many of the recommendations I get come preceded by: “I can’t believe you haven’t seen…” The latest one was for The Stuff, which I didn’t even know about, but which leapt into first place upon seeing that it was written and directed by Larry Cohen, who did one of my weird favorites, God Told Me To, as well as It’s Alive and Black Caesar.
This movie is a sort of The Blob meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In the first scene a factory worker sees this kind of marshmallow fluff-looking stuff bubbling out of the ground… so naturally he eats it. It tastes really good, and he decides that he could probably make money selling it. Next thing we know it has taken the country by storm and everyone is eating it. We then move in on this cute kid, Jason, who gets up one night and sees the stuff moving, and is justifiably freaked out. This is accomplished by a simple and charming effect: turning the refrigerator on its side. Simple special effects like this always bring a smile to the face.
Then we meet Michael Moriarty as ‘Mo’ Rutherford, this corporate spy who comes off as this really stupid Texas buffoon, but is actually quite smart and just using that as a disguise. He’s a real character—as you might say about someone you know who’s a bit bizarre—but it’s also very refreshing to have characters that are distinct, well-drawn and interesting, instead of characters obviously focus-tested into oblivion to be ‘likeable’ and ‘doable.’ Later, Andrea Marcovicci shows up as Nicole, and her character trait is that she cracks her neck and knuckles really loudly. It’s just really refreshing to have strange, distinct characters. By the time early SNL member Garrett Morris shows up and is doing his schtick with Mortiary, I was really wanting a regular TV show featuring the two of them.
Anyway, one of the few issues I have with the movie is that it moves too quickly. By 20 minutes in, The Stuff has completely taken over society and Jason is freaking out in a supermarket and trying to destroy their displays of The Stuff… it just seemed like I had watched an hour worth of movie in that time. But anyway, during that time you get lots of faux commercials for The Stuff [Enough is never enough… of The Stuff!] which are always fun. But like I said, before you know it, Mo and Jason and Nicole are all hooked up together and against The Stuff and are trying to find out where it comes from… and you’re kind of like “shouldn’t this be happening more toward the end? So what are they going to do at the end?”
In here the enterprising Jason has eaten Barbisol shaving cream in order to escape his parents, whereupon he’s picked up by Mo, whereupon he pukes in Mo’s car, causing Mo to say “That’s okay. Everybody has to eat shaving cream once in a while.” They find the source of The Stuff, a giant hole in the ground, and there’s a lot of running around and explosions and stuff. In here also is a giant Stuff attack where this huge amount shoots out of a bed and devours this guy, accomplished by turning the entire room upside-down. If you listen to the commentary [or read the IMDb], you find out that this room was made on the exact same mechanism for the room in which Johnny Depp got killed in the first Nightmare on Elm Street… and though not mentioned, I presume also the same room where Tina bought it after sliding up the wall in that movie. And you know, it’s ALWAYS fun to watch things slide up walls! Especially when they’re on FIRE!
SPOILERS > > >
Then you have this crazy general played by Paul Sorvino. You get a cameo by the “Where’s The Beef?” lady [which apparently they paid $15,000 for: a total waste of money in an already low-budget film]. Then you have some advanced special effects [for a movie like this]. At the end they commandeer a radio station and just TELL everyone not to eat The Stuff, just TELL stores not to sell it, and just TELL distributors to destroy their stock—and miraculously, they all do! So you never really find out what it was and where it came from, but you don’t mind. It was such silly fun all along one doesn’t mind a silly ending.
< < < SPOILERS END
Overall, a very fun, slightly scary movie with a sheen of social and commercial satire [always welcome], appealingly daft characters, and special effects created by turning a room on its side. That’s all I need!
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
Certainly not essential cinema, but it’ll show you a good time if you like goofy horror.
