The Stuff

The Stuff is currently streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Shudder, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 531 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Michael Moriarty's performance alone is worth the time investment. Start it on Amazon Prime Video whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Stuff keeps coming up in conversation. The Stuff does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Amalgamated Dairies hires David Rutherford, an FBI man turned industrial saboteur, to investigate a popular new product called “the Stuff,” a new dessert product that is blowing ice cream sales out of the water. Nobody knows how it’s made or what’s in it, but people are lining up to buy it. It's got a delicious flavor to die for! Michael Moriarty and Andrea Marcovicci lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1985. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and The Stuff holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, The Stuff respects your intelligence. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Michael Moriarty's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.