Max Minghella’s “Shell” follows in the grand tradition of lurid comedies, like Robert Zemeckis’ “Death Becomes Her,” which satirizes societal pressures on women to look youthful and vital into the later stages of life. “Shell” is purposefully designed to be campy, silly, fun—mainstream entertainment with topical bite.
And Minghella largely succeeds in his admittedly modest ambitions. It’s too bad he’s had his lunch eaten by Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” a film with an identical premise and analogous execution but a much higher profile.
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