Matt Goodman

The Substance is a poor clone of similar-themed movies. The story is very predictable if not boring and much of the token nudity conflicts with the film’s apparent pro-women/anti-men theme. Over-acting is the star here combined with a non-sensical mix of seriousness and kitchy and you have a movie that doesn’t deserve resuscitation.

What happens when you try to do too much in a retread movie? You get an outrageous, unbelievable, emotionless, and mostly boring. Many scenes looked straight out of a haunted house (not in a good way). The constant set color changes, strobe lights, and fog machine were out over-the-top. And the cast was straight out of Star Wars Rise of Clones.

Contrived. Confounding. Confusing. Copious dialogue.

Movie overperforms with great acting and laugh-out-loud scenes. Perhaps the beat part of the movie is how relatable it is (mostly for guys, though). Married guys can relate to missing those glory days while young guys yearn for comradery and respect. Its about taking chances and having no regrets. Its about the fight of growing old and settling down. It’s all these things but in an outrageously funny way.