Elisabeth (Demi Moore) still looks incredibly fit for her 50+ years - but apparently not fit enough to run her own morning fitness show, at least according to her sleazy producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid), who out of nowhere tells her he feels the need to replace her for a younger model. That understandably stresses Elisabeth out, so much so that she gets into a freak car accident, an accident that she miraculously survives unscathed. And at the clinic she's treated at she's given the chance to migrate into the young and beautiful body of Sue (Margaeret Qualley), a chance that Elisabeth is pretty much taking by the horns. There's one caveat, she can only stay in Sue's body for seven days, then she has to go back into Elisabeth's for seven days to refuel. Sure, she can extend being Sue a bit, but every time she does, a part of Elisabeth's body will age some. That of course doesn't sound too difficult to handle, nothing more than a scheduling challenge, and at first everything works out great, Elisabeth as Sue doesn't only get her fitness show back, she grows it beyond what she has ever thought possible, to the point where she gets her own New Year's Eve special, and of course she enjoys being in her 20s and partying without remorse again. Problem is, she enjoys this a bit too much and repeatedly overstays her stint as Sue - much to Elisabeth's dismay, as this makes her age more and more, and even though Elisabeth and Sue are one and the same person, they soon start work against one another, with Sue having the upper hand as she can directly punish Elisabeth by aging her. Thing is, there's only so often that Sue can overstay being Sue, and with New Year's Eve approaching, her quota's used up ...

A pretty biting satire on our obsession with youth and beauty, and the almost dated "male" gaze director Coralie Fargeat has chosen to bring the story to life, one that's so direct it almost makes one uncomfortable, really carries the story well as it only underlines its message. That all said, the film's extended ending with Elisabeth having turned into a monster might detract from things a bit, but it's still fun to watch. As for the dast, this is definitely Demi Moore's movie, who gives a daring performance, warts and all - even if at 60+ she almost looks too fit to play a 50+ fitness coach, but even that ultimately plays into the film's hand. In all, actually a thoughtful film - and at the same time a very enjoyable one.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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