A Coisa

And just what IS The Stuff? Well, physically, The Stuff looks like marshmallow Fluff, but it's also as addictive as supercrack and as zombie inducing as an alien space pod. And it just happens to be the latest dessert craze to sweep our nation, in Larry Cohen's 1985 sci-fi satire "The Stuff." As other dessert manufacturers go belly up, industrial spy Michael Moriarty is hired to find out just what this Stuff is all about, and he is assisted by Andrea Marcovicci (a Madison Ave. exec who is pushing The Stuff) and by a Famous Amos-like character played by Garrett Morris. Paul Sorvino pops up toward the end as Col. Spears, who seems to head his own private army, and he too is instrumental in the fight against the deadly confection. Anyway, like The Stuff itself, "The Stuff" is fun to consume but leaves one wanting still more. It has an intriguing plot, and its satire on this country's rampant consumerism does work, but at the same time, there aren't enough exciting set pieces, and the film's joking tone fritters away any real sense of suspense. This movie might have worked a lot better if it had been more serious, and less tongue in (Stuff-stuffed) cheek. It doesn't quite hold together somehow--possibly the fault of the script or the editing--and though the film looks fine, with nice Blob-like Stuff FX, it still feels slapdash somehow. But wait till you see Abe Vigoda and Clara "Where's the Beef?" Peller do a Stuff TV commercial, and hear that catchy jingle ("Enough is never enough, of The Stuff"). Fun stuff indeed!

Bounty hunter and TV advertiser team up together to discover what the ingredients are in a popular junk food that is sweeping the country, called The Stuff. However, they uncover a conspiracy in which the makers of The Stuff know that their product is causing people to become mindless zombies. Exciting and funny little Cohen film is a throwback to the horror films of yesteryear, yet with all your usual Cohen trimmings, but much more solid then usual with good special effects and an original premise. The cast is excellent and the film has various cameo's planted throughout the film.

Rated R; Violence & Profanity.

The Stuff is a rare find. It should be shown more because it examines an inner message. How a product known to be addictive can still influence people to buy it in mass quantities if properly marketed. A scary thought also blends into an entertaining movie. The Stuff is very reminiscent of the classic 50's "Sci-Fi" and horror flicks where some alien, monster, or bizarre life form, tries to take over the world, and it's up to the one or two people who haven't been "taken over" by the strange creature or "thing" to stop it.

What's even more interesting is how this movie examines society's obsession with food fads. Back in the 1950's ,when these types of B-grade horror films were produced, the diets and nutritional habits of the general public did not emphasize the importance of healthy eating like they do today. Our nation has been consumed over the years with a lot of "Stuff" (pun intended) in food consumption that causes such serious health concerns as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart problems.

An underlining message in this movie shows how companies can be motivated to maximize profits while ignoring heath risks. Just because something "tastes great" doesn't mean that it IS great. The acting in The Stuff is very campy, cheesy, and at times way over the top. But the hidden messages about America's compulsion with food consumption plays well here.

See The Stuff! It is a much better film than you would expect!

Neither an A nor a B flick, this is a C. The production and acting are so bad that they are good. There are multiple scenes where the extras/background actors are actually smirking, because they know how ridiculous this movie is.Yet, 34 years later, we are still discussing it. Some old guy at a mine sight discovers this white goo oozing up from the ground. What is the first thing he does? Why he tastes it, like any normal person would. Turns out this stuff is delicious and gets marketed as a desert. The stuff is highly addictive and does some very bad things to you if you ingest too much of it.This is a social commentary of consumerism and the fact that companies care more about their bottom line than they do the welfare of the people that buy their product, and on that front, the movie is pretty spot on. I would have loved to give this more stars, but the acting is just that bad. If you are not looking for a Gone With the Wind experience and just want to watch something that is so bad it is good, then check out The Stuff.

The Stuff (1985) is a movie currently available for free on Tubi. The storyline follows a yogurt like substance that mysteriously comes out of the Earth and somehow gets "approved" by the FDA to be sold and available in grocery stores. Shortly after it's release an "outbreak" of sorts occurs where "the stuff" expands in your body and eats away at your insides until it's explodes out of every opening in your body. This movie is directed by Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and stars Michael Moriarty (Pale Rider), Andrea Marcovicci (The Front), Garrett Morris (Ant-Man), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas) and Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing). This movie was brought to my attention by Into the Dark. The storyline reminded me of if they took "the blob" and put it in yogurt containers. The marketing and commercials in this were a lot of fun and well done. I really enjoyed the acting, writing and dialogue. I was cracking up throughout the film. With a storyline like this it's always fun when it doesn't take itself too seriously. The kill scenes were solid and looked like fluff coming out of every hole. It's impossible not to enjoy the facial expressions of the victims as they came to their demise. This is a fun film that is definitely worth a viewing that I'd score a solid 6.5/10 and strongly recommend.