Writer/Director Larry Cohen seems to make pictures that bear some important philosophical/social thread to them very often against a background of absurdity, sheer silliness, and subtle good performances. directions, etc... The Stuff is no exception and while nowhere as good(as far as I am concerned) a Q or It's Alive - The Stuff has a lot going for it. Oozing yogurt-like substance(alien source perhaps) is being manufactured and sold and becomes a million dollar plus commodity. Trouble is it has amazingly devastating after-effects. While The Stuff is one of Cohen's less serious films in style, it is profound if you look for it to be. It makes fun of crass consumerism, retailing, marketing, the army, the government, big business, and so many other things - all with a humorous slant but with a cutting undertow. Michael Moriarity again stars as the lead in a Cohen film and as always gives a pretty good performance. He always gives the films an air of credibility. The rest of the cast is good at playing it as half-serious with Garrett Morris standing out as well as Paul Sorvino as a macho military man. And what about the white stuff? Well, it is creepier than you might expect as it can do all kinds of things. And the saddest part is that while the story is heavily exaggerated - I found it to be credible given more realistic criteria. Cohen hits the mark on the nature of 20th century consumers and beyond.

Stuff is coming out of the ground and it's delicious. It becomes a taste sensation as one of the mysterious ingredients in a new line of dessert. Rival food companies are desperate and they hire industrial saboteur David "Mo" Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) to uncover the secret ingredient.

There is great potential for camp here but Moriarty may not be the one to bring it out. This is before his Law & Order days but even without that, he doesn't strike me as a guy with a sense of humor. He's still a great actor but he seems out of place when the movie descends into campy B-movie territories. This could have been more fun although there are moments with gleefully ridiculous B-movie horrors.

This cult film is definitely an acquired taste. Larry Cohen made a name for himself with cult movies such as this, and he usually had some kind of unusual monster on the loose. This time, however, he opts for a tale on THE BLOB mixed in with some social satire, similar to the mock-advertising Paul Verhoeven uses and Romero's commentary on consumerism in DAWN OF THE DEAD. It's a hit and miss affair.

As a film, this film is entertaining on a cheap level, with a lot of jokes. The plot twists and turns and is sufficient for your typical "cop investigates conspiracy" affair. The special effects are probably something everyone is going to be interested in, and the Stuff looks pretty good here. There is a nice effect of a big lake of the Stuff bubbling up from underground. Other good effects are when the Stuff comes spraying out of people's mouths which is definitely spectacular.

The acting is average for a film such as this, you've got the typical woman in peril, the kid who knows the truth, and the expected army guys. Michael Moriarty comes across as being rather annoying in most scenes, especially when he makes stupid jokes, but he's a competent actor and can carry the role nicely. THE STUFF is quite interesting and certainly a quaint little movie but nothing to get too excited about. I would watch it just for the oddness of it.