The Stuff

The Stuff

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DVD Reviews of The Stuff

DVD Review: Flawed but occasionally amusing
Summary: 3 Stars

"The Stuff" is about, well, a new food sensation called "The Stuff." We learn at the beginning of the film that the stuff is actually something bubbling up from the ground and that it tastes deliciously sweet because some old duffer decides to sample the white paste after he touches it (note to self: never, NEVER decide to taste something bubbling out of the ground). Since it is the evil 1980s, a time when corporate greed finally came into its own, in no time at all some company decides to sell this gunk as a low fat, low calorie confection. You would think the FDA or some other government agency working tirelessly to protect consumers would throw up major roadblocks to such a shameless attempt to garner a buck. Not in Larry Cohen's universe, where corporations are distant relations to fallen angels and the rest of us are gullible sheep along for the ride. We find out that the FDA did perform a battery of rigorous tests on the stuff but something happened during the process that resulted in either strange disappearances or cowed testers who refuse to speak out about what they found in the laboratory. With those pesky government agencies out of the way, the people behind the stuff pull in money hand over fist. The competition, made up of companies making such boring products as ice cream and candy, decide enough is enough and hire an industrial spy so they can get the formula.

Enter Michael Moriarty as David 'Mo' Rutherford (the 'mo' means 'more money'), a greedy former government agent who now makes his living stealing corporate secrets for the highest bidder. Moriarty assumes a languorous southern drawl for his character, an accent so annoying I actually felt parts of my brain liquefy every time he opened his mouth. Rutherford begins his investigation immediately, quickly discovering that something isn't quite right about the stuff. People cannot seem to get enough of this new treat, leading our hero to surmise that the company producing this white sweet is putting an addictive substance in it. After teaming up with up a disgruntled marketing executive, a cookie maker known as Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris), a precocious kid who escaped his addicted family, and a far right militia type named Colonel Malcolm Grommett Spears, Rutherford is ready to do battle with the forces of darkness (or whiteness). The team discovers that the stuff comes out of the ground and that it possesses properties decidedly harmful to the human race as a whole. The company selling the stuff as a food product could care less about the potential dangers to people as long as they make a profit. At least the concluding scenes of the film, where the stuff executives get their "just desserts," so to speak, is moderately entertaining. Regrettably, "The Stuff" as a film collapses under a host of problems.

It has been at least a week since I have seen such a poorly edited film. The beginning and middle parts of the movie aren't all that bad, but by the time we get to the end the whole thing looks like Cohen slapped it together in an effort to get the film ready for a distribution deadline. Even a Herschell Gordon Lewis film has better editing than "The Stuff," and that is saying a lot. I have already gone into the problems with Moriarty's performance here, a problem that could have been offset had the other characters in the movie proved even remotely interesting. The terrorized kid is annoying, Chocolate Chip Charlie is amusing but only appears briefly in the beginning and towards the end, and Colonel Spears (played over the top by Paul Sorvino) plays on every wacko stereotype imaginable. Moreover, the romance springing up between Rutherford and Nicole, the disillusioned advertising executive, is unrealistic.

Happily, "The Stuff" does succeed on several levels. The special effects showing the stuff on a rampage and what it does to those who eat it on a regular basis looks good. The social critique works well, especially the slick advertising spots and the cheesy yet catchy jingles used to sell the product. Viewers well versed in 1980's pop culture should get a chuckle or two out of the cameo by Clara Peller, the lady who did the "Where's the beef?" ads for a widely recognizable hamburger chain back in the days of Reagan. Finally, the DVD release contains a Cohen commentary, trailers, and a widescreen picture transfer. "The Stuff" has plenty of flaws, but still manages to occasionally entertain.

Description of The Stuff