ReelBob: ‘Irresistible’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
“Irresistible,” writer-director Jon Stewart’s new political satire, offers several laughs — mostly because of stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne — but its softball parody about electioneering is openly condescending and toothless.
What keeps “Irresistible” from totaling collapsing is the presence of Chris Cooper as the small-town mayoral candidate who becomes the focus of an election battle between two opposing, high-priced political operatives, played by Carell and Byrne.
For decades, Hollywood has produced movies that either portrayed middle-class and/or rural Americans as unsophisticated rubes or as wise, down-to-earth folk who easily outwit the city slickers.
Stewart’s primary focus is the abuses of political campaigns — especially the process’s financial aspects.
In “Irresistible,” Cooper portrays Jack Hastings, a retired Marine colonel, who makes an impassioned speech at a city-council meeting opposing a piece of anti-immigration legislation.
His comments go viral, grabbing the attention of political operative Gary Zimmer (Carell), still in shock over the defeat of his candidate, Hillary Clinton, by Donald Trump.
Zimmer sees an opportunity for Democrats to make inroads in the rural Midwest by convincing Hastings to run for mayor of his town, Deerlaken, Wis.
He convinces Hastings to enter the race and begins creating a campaign that will propel his candidate to victory.
His efforts attract the attention of his Republican rival, Faith Brewster, a Kellyanne Conway-inspired Byrne.
Soon, the full-blown political apparatus of both parties descends on Deerlaken, with millions of dollars being spent to win a seat that serves a dying town of 5,000 people.
While Stewart’s barbs are on point, “Irresistible,” at times, feels and sounds as if he is preaching to the choir. Yes, we all know that the spending abuses of political campaigns, as well as using focus groups and demographics are out of control. Without offering any solutions, Stewart gently lampoons those excesses.
What “Irresistible” is missing is a sense of passion or anger; sure, Stewart displays some disgust for the entire process, but he does so in a way that dilutes his argument.
A bit more of Stewart’s righteous fervor or disgust of the process was needed to elevate “Irresistible” to create more indignation about how today’s elections are run.
Still, Cooper — as the voice of common sense — makes the film worthwhile. His solidly low-key performance and steadfast gravitas and decency draw you into the film.
Carell and Byrne are basically the comic relief, because they see the mayoral election more as a personal duel than a political event.
A hint of romance and sexual tension between the two keeps their characters from being totally one dimensional.
Carell’s Zimmer especially is the butt of many jokes as he tries desperately to fit in. To him, Deerlaken could be a foreign country. When Zimmer first flies to Deerlaken to meet Hastings, he studies up on Wisconsin, by reading Wikipedia.
Byrne’s Brewster is more acerbic and calculating, relishing the opportunity to humiliate Zimmer by using every trick in her arsenal to defeat his candidate.
What saves “Irresistible” is its twist finale that turns everything on its head. It features the best moments in the movie, offering a satisfying coda to all that went before.
“Irresistible” is safe and it’s fun, but such a satire about today’s dysfunctional political climate should be more ferocious and unforgiving.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
IRRESISTIBLE
2½ stars out of 4
(R), language, sexual references