'Irresistible' Is an Overlooked Comedy Gem

I love Irresistible, the latest film written and directed by legendary satirist Jon Stewart.  Going in, I didn’t really expect much from it, so I was quite surprised by how good it is.  This could be the reason, compounded with recency bias, why I feel this way about this film.  It’s possible that I don’t really love it as much as I feel I do now, being a slave of the moment and all.  Fair.  Still, as I’m writing this, this is what I genuinely feel about this movie: it’s terrific, and it’s one of my favorite films of the year so far.

Irresistible follows Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell), a Democratic strategist who ran Hilary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 presidential elections and whose career slumped as a result of their humiliating defeat.  After watching a viral video of a farmer and a retired colonel named Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) delivering a fiery speech on behalf of undocumented immigrants during a town hall meeting in Deerlaken, Wisconsin, Gary sees it as an opportunity to start his comeback.  He goes to Deerlaken, convinces Jack to run for mayor as a Democrat, and proceeds to serve as his campaign manager.  Meanwhile, Gary’s long-time rival and counterpart in the Republican Party, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne), is sent to Deerlaken to lead the incumbent mayor’s campaign.

This political comedy is perfect for 2020, being another presidential election year.  It not only has an engaging plot that has an election at its center, but has insights that are worthwhile for the season as well.  While the scenarios it presents are comical and outlandish – it’s a satire after all – and thus, unlikely to happen – or, at least, exaggerated presentations on what occur in real life – they ultimately feel down-to-earth because the themes they touch on are relatable and are technically grounded on existing things.

The script is witty and unpredictable.  In a way, this movie constantly evolves as you watch it.  Every time you think you already know what the movie is all about, it pulls the rug under you.  Then, near the end, it gives you one of the most satisfying movie plot twists in recent memory.  Once it ends, everything clicks nicely into place.  This includes why the movie is titled “Irresistible”, as you’re blown away by what it’s referring to all along.

There are some jokes that miss, but in general, it’s quite a hilarious movie.    It had me audibly laughing or chuckling all throughout.  It has some of the funniest dialogues of the year, and half of their comical effectiveness is due to the impeccable delivery of the actors.

Steve Carrell and Rose Bryne make this movie.  Their performances have the comedic timing, nuances, and seeming self-awareness that perfectly optimizes the humor, as most of the laughs come out of their respective sleazy characters’ bitter rivalry.  In addition, I also significantly like Mackenzie Davis in this movie.

Jon Stewart, like virtually everyone in Hollywood, is a liberal.  But he’s one of the few intellectually honest ones left.  Thus, he’s fair with the put-downs he wrote into this movie.  He pokes fun at the right, but he also pokes fun at the left.  He roasts the mainstream media, American election culture, and both political parties.  He makes the cliched digs at Republicans, but he also recognizes and lampoons what’s wrong with Democrats right now – like their elitism, tendency to condescend, blatant hypocrisy, lack of self-awareness, and pandering tactics – which is causing their disconnect with the American population outside of the major cities.  This rare deviation from the usual Hollywood political commentary – which is particularly all about pushing biased, leftist agendas – is a breath of fresh air.

Liberals can actually learn a lesson or two from this movie, which might have even  been what Stewart wanted to provide for his side.  But the mostly bad reviews that the liberal media industrial complex gave this movie seem to indicate that they still don’t get it.  It’s as if, rather than learn from this movie, they chose to get offended by how it dares to go against their narratives and mock their echo-chamber worldviews.

Irresistible is a film that’s currently being overlooked or discounted.  Which is a shame since, in my opinion, it’s one of the smartest, freshest, and funniest movies of 2020 – one of the year’s crème de la crème.