Don’t call it a comeback, Demi Moore has been with us for years. However, with The Substance, the onetime box office star rebounds with a cathartic role that gives new meaning to the saying “Fame is fleeting.” The Coralie Fargeat-directed horror movie, which received a 13-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival premiere in May, makes its North American premiere tonight at the Toronto Film Festival.
Moore plays TV fitness guru Elisabeth Sparkle, who is shown the door by her chauvinistic network boss (Dennis Quaid) because he wants a younger star.
However, a new medical procedure billed as “The Substance” finds its way into Sparkle’s hands, giving her the opportunity to switch off on a weekly basis with her younger self, played by Margaret Qualley.
And wouldn’t ya know? That younger self winds up taking over as the host of Sparkle’s show. Similar to Gremlins, there’s all sorts of rules to making the great experiment work, which of course, Sparkle fails to follow.
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