What Barbie should have been. Less telling, more showing. The Substance is the perfect mix of that Stephen King novela where the obese person becomes just deflated skin, The Blob and that R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps book where the girl can’t take her Halloween mask off, and it’s a mix I loved. Since The Leftovers I have enjoyed Margaret Qualley’s acting and she really was the perfect fit for this role. And so was Dennis Quaid as the crazy producer named, surely intentionally, Harvey. I would have preferred someone else as Elisabeth, and throughout the film I kept thinking that this role would have been perfect for Julianne Moore, but this is one of Demi’s better performances. The Substance is an excellent, even though literal, commentary on aging and the pursuit of fame. And I have never seen a more stunning billboard on the Sunset Strip or anywhere around LA, I will now research who took that beautiful photo.

8/10