Nothing Tastes as Good

This mixed-bag horror outing from Dumas (The Paleontologist) focuses on the bloody side effects of a new weight-loss drug. Emmett Truesdale has struggled with obesity for much of his life, a condition that has hampered his personal relationships as well as his job prospects. Instead of following his dream of becoming a teacher, Emmett works in customer service at Target, where his appearance subjects him to near-constant mockery. Desperate to find love with the right man and escape his dead-end job, Emmett signs up for a trial of Obexity, a new gene therapy treatment. To his delight, Obexity more than meets the promises made by its manufacturer, Monstera BioSciences: Emmett drops pounds daily without exercising or altering his diet. Dumas does a good job capturing Emmett’s inner torment but gives away the game by opening the book with someone devouring a human corpse, and a letter from Monstera stating that a trial participant became a cannibal, sapping much of the suspense. The plot is largely predictable, and its sillier aspects—including a reveal about Monstera’s CEO—overwhelm Dumas’s empathic portrayal of his lead. Cannibal horror is having a moment, but this fails to stand out from the pack. (Mar.)