If you’ve been missing Jon Stewart’s irreverent view of our national politics on TV, then you’ll get a good laugh from his latest film, “Irresistible.” Stewart wrote and directed this political comedy starring Steve Carrell and Rose Byrne. The film was released straight to VOD June 26th. So, pop that corn and settle in on your comfy couch for this timely, funny film with a twist.
MOVIE SYNOPSIS.
From writer/director Jon Stewart comes the comedy of a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper), a retired Marine colonel run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town.
The film is written and directed by Jon Stewart. It is produced by Stewart, Lila Yacoub and Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.
Carrell plays Gary Zimmer, a Democrat political consultant from D.C., who sees a chance to flip the unopposed Republican mayor’s office in a small Wisconsin town’s upcoming election. After watching a gripping video of the town’s council meeting, in which retired Marine colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) delivers a scathing speech against a proposed immigration regulation, Gary sets his sights on the colonel as the Democratic candidate for mayor.
Gary travels from D.C. to Wisconsin, ensconces himself in the local scene and tries to fit in the rural town. He hits the local watering hole after deplaning from his DNC sponsored jet and orders a burger and a beer. Normal, right? Not really. This is when things start to go suspiciously sideways. You can take the boy out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the boy…
What happens in the next hour and forty two minutes ranges from hilarity to ridiculousness. The entire town is recruited into all out war after the Republican political consultant, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne), storms in and blows Gary’s peaceful political plan out of the cow fields.
Both political machines are entrenched in a battle to win at all costs, and call on party resources to outdo each other. Predictably, the antics between the two political rivals reach a fever pitch to the point where they can’t help themselves — the pair are actually reminiscent of those other two political opposites, James Carville and Mary Matalin, whose careers made them irresistible to each other. Carell and Byrne deliver some pretty hilarious scenes given their limited chemistry and the predictability of their working relationship.
But there’s abundant and enjoyable slap stick. Some of the funniest moments in this movie are courtesy of Carell’s character, Gary who hearkens back to the actor’s days of “The Office.” In some scenes it was clear to me that I was watching Michael Scott sneak in his unhinged self a few times providing much needed comic relief in an otherwise miserable subject. I sure loved seeing Carell in his element!
Though far-fetched (and funny), what we get from this film is rather eye-opening. We’re shown a bit more about how local politics can be manipulated by outside interests that will stop at nothing to sway citizens. But even more alarming is to understand how deep pockets from other areas, even states, work to impact local political outcomes.
The combination of Carrell’s signature humor with the stark reality of the election campaign he’s charged to run, are rooted in how people are elected today. It’s nasty business. And someone’s got to do it. But in this small town’s case, things end with a very rewarding twist.
“Irresistible” premiered at home on-demand Friday, June 26th. This film was originally scheduled to be released on May 29th.
You can rent the most irresistible comedy event of the summer for a 48-hour rental period for $19.99. It’s available on nearly all on-demand platforms including – Amazon, Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, Fandango, Google/YouTube, Charter/Spectrum, Verizon, Microsoft, Dish, Sony, Cox, Altice, Vudu, Frontier, and Row8.
Go to WatchIrresistible.com for more info on where and how to watch it.
IRRESISTIBLE
Rated R
Runtime 1 hour and 42 minutes
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