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Writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt's gross-out masterpiece "The Ugly Stepsister" jumps off the premise: "What if the story of Cinderella was really really gross?"

The film's slow descent into prosthetic-laced chaos cleverly uses the genre’s conventions to make a provocative point about the supposed “expiration” of feminine beauty, punctuated by the most gratuitous gross-out scene to grace the Academy’s ballot since “Triangle of Sadness”’s vomit cruise.

Yet, it’s disappointment that Perkins serves up most frequently in “The Monkey,” detouring from every wide-open chance to showcase depth and humanity in favor of juvenile humor and gross-out splatter gags.

The idea that you could see a weird gross-out movie with your family.”

More central than the gross-out factor is a wry statement of disability pride, a reminder that swagger needn’t be skin-deep.