IRRESISTIBLE by Writer/Director Jon Stewart

Focus Features is releasing in Limited Theaters and on Demand June 26, 2020 the second feature by political maverick and former talk-show host Jon Stewart IRRESISTIBLE (his first writing/directing effort was “Rosewater”, which I have yet to see).

As you might guess, “Irresistible” is a political satire making commentary on the exhausting and corrosive constant election cycle, media consultants, campaign finance and political party machinery.

Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell) is a Democratic campaign spinner, consultant, strategist in Washington DC, one of his staff brings him a YouTube video of a guy in the heartland of Wisconsin, retired Marine Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper), shown making an impassioned speech during a Town Hall meeting about caring for those fallen on hard times since the closing of the town’s military base, which shrunk the town population from 15,000 to 5,000 practically overnight, destroying their economy.  Despite the fact that Jack resembles every farming, gun toting, flag waving Republican, his speech had very definite Democratic, left leaning tones. Gary feels this is a way into the demographic lost to Trump during the 2016 election, so he makes a trip out to this small Wisconsin town in search of Colonel Hastings in hopes of convincing him to run for mayor.

“Jon Stewart was a little different than working with most directors: He comes from satire and comedy.

“Still he comes very prepared. This and his previous movie ‘Rosewater’ were shot with Bobby Bukowski. I worked with him back in 1987 and he’s really capable, a master of light. That helped Jon extremely well and Bobby would suggest, ‘Let’s shoot an angle here.’ It was just an extra eye… Chris Cooper READ MORE

Here’s where we’re supposed to fall in love with these folksy, small town, never seen the ocean, good stock type people. The impression we get is that there is only one bakery/coffee place, which serves out of this world homemade danish. And one watering hole, which also serves as the town’s only hotel.  Gary of course is a fast-talking fish out of water, trying to motivate the town to get behind Jack, instead of the long running Republican candidate Mayor Braun (Brent Sexton).  News of his headway reaches back to D.C. and the opposition sends in Gary’s counterpart, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne) to help Mayor Braun, she’s shrewd and ruthless and loves to see Gary humiliated, but she’s far from being a soulless cancer Kellyanne Conway type.

It’s always debatable whether or not audiences want to see movies about current subject matter.  I kinda think unless you’re watching a documentary, you’d rather have some distance from a subject before you can enjoy it. I think with COVID-19 and all and the tricks we know Trump and his party will play as our own 2020 election looms, a comedy about the short-comings of our election system may not be what’s palatable right now. Especially a comedy with very few solid comedic moments.

#IrresistibleMovie also features very underwhelming roles for Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne & MacKenzie Davis (“Tully”).

Jon Stewart is among the smartest and most biting political satirists out there, and there is a payoff in the 3^rd act, but for the most part I feel he either tried or was told to dumb it down and bland it out. Not only to make it non-partisan for the most part, but to make it digestible.  However, ironically, it’s after the credits, when we see Stewart interviewing a Political Finance Expert on Super PACs and such, that is the most interesting part of the film.

T& T @largeassmovieblogs rating : 2 outta 5