Are We Getting ‘The Substance’ All Wrong?

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( close read [Are We Getting The Substance All Wrong?]( The Demi Moore horror film is being hailed for its feminism, but its real strength is in its portrayal of addictive behavior. Photo: MUBI Warning: Spoilers ahead for the plot of The Substance. There’s nothing developed or nuanced about the feminism of [The Substance](. It’s a blunt-force object of a movie that begins with one of the leering men in suits who control show business doing the professional equivalent of taking the female lead behind the barn and shooting her when she hits the age of 50. But does there need to be? We’re so accustomed now to approaching art-house horror as allegorical, with every outlandish menace a stand-in for some real-world wrong, that it’s downright disorienting how literal Coralie Fargeat’s bloody-gummed howl of a [body-horror movie]( is. The Substancedoesn’t feel any need to relitigate the existence of the patriarchy. Instead, it treats the toxicity of its heightened version of Hollywood as settled law, using the place as a highly polished magnifying glass for the culture at large’s bottomless appetite for youth and beauty. Sexism and ageism run rampant, but they provide the backdrop against which the film’s narrative unfolds, rather than its focus. What’s really of interest to Fargeat is the relationship her protagonist, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), an Oscar-winning actor turned fitness celeb, has with an industry that’s openly intent on treating her as disposable, yet that keeps her hooked with the siren song of public affirmation. Fargeat’s film isn’t, at its core, about inequality, but about what keeps us coming back to situations and, yes, substances that harm us. It’s about addiction. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • A Very Royal Scandal: [They Got Nixon This Way (Episode 2)](, [Consequences (Episode 3)]( • The Real Housewives of Orange County: [Jean Therapy]( • The Old Man: [Family Feud]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [The Golden Globes Are Still Pay to Play Can we borrow a dollar? We’re trying to get What We Do in the Shadows a Golden Globe or six.]( By Jason P. Frank [The Best Streaming Services for Every Kind of Sports Fan Whether you want to watch the NFL, the World Series, or darts.]( By Dan Reilly [Oh No, Muppet Twitter Is Feuding With the SNL Movie No weapon formed against Jim Henson shall prosper.]( By Rebecca Alter [Stephen Colbert’s Worst Pun Was the Best Thing on Late Night This Week Also Zayn Malik’s mime work on The Tonight Show and Ms. Pat’s sit-down stand-up on Late Night.]( By Bethy Squires [Nintendo Is (Finally) Suing Over Palworld The video game described as ’Pokémon with guns’ is being accused of patent infringement after it became a hit earlier this year.]( By Nicholas Quah [Arrivederci, La Chimera at IFC Center The real song of the summer was the film’s 25-week theatrical run.]( By Fran Hoepfner [Let’s Wildly Speculate About The Great British Bake Off (Based on No Baking) Who will win this season of GBBO? We’ve got no expertise but have lots of opinions.]( By Jason P. Frank [I Saw the TV Glow’s Ending Is Full of Hope, If You Want It to Be There’s a way to read the end of Jane Schoenbrun’s masterful new movie as grim, even nihilistic. But you must actively choose to see it that way.]( By Emily St. James [There Are Ways to Be Normal on the Substance From The Substance Sorry to Elisabeth Sparkle, but I’m built different.]( By Fran Hoepfner [Are We Getting The Substance All Wrong? The Demi Moore horror film is being hailed for its feminism, but its real strength is in its portrayal of addictive behavior.]( By Alison Willmore [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 5-Across, Three Letters: The Batmobile, for one Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name a David Lynch movie starring Isabella Rossellini? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved