By Tom and Marilyn Jozwik
He: Reminded that Jon Stewart, the old “Daily Show” host, directed the factual film “Rosewater” several years before directing
“Irresistible,” I tracked down my review of the 2014 movie and discovered I thought it mediocre. Stewart’s fictional follow-up isn’t any better. “Irresistible” is definitely resistible.
She: Steve Carell stars as Democratic political consultant Gary Zimmer in the new film. Even though Carell has shown time and again that he is far more versatile than his one-dimensional character in “The Office” TV series, there is a lot of Michael Scott in Zimmer. In “Irresistible,” Zimmer woos retired Marine colonel Jack Hastings (a nicely done portrayal by Chris
Cooper) after a video of Hastings championing undocumented workers at a Wisconsin town hall meeting goes viral. Zimmer seems to be the perfect face of the party to attract rural America. After Hastings agrees to run for mayor, Zimmer comes to town with a well-oiled machine to run the campaign, and gathers thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. Soon Zimmer’s Republican counterpart, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne), brings an equally sophisticated crew to campaign for Hastings’ rival (Brent Sexton). The mud starts flying as each consultant ups the ante trying to come out on top.
He: I’ve liked Carell in other movies, but I find absolutely nothing endearing about his character, or Byrne’s, in this one (and that sure didn’t motivate me to appreciate “Irresistible”). I think it’s their X-rated talk more than anything else that’s resulted in an R rating for this 101-minute movie. “Irresistible” is interesting enough for a while, but it loses its steam soon enough … and even loses its, arguably, most likable character—Cooper’s Colonel Jack—for a sizable chunk of time. For whatever reason, the political neophyte who begins the flick center stage takes a mid-film hiatus.
She: The film highlights just how absurd our nation’s political campaigns have become and the exorbitant amount of money poured into them. It also has a very satisfying twist ending. But Zimmer and Brewster turn into such far-fetched characters—caricatures, actually—that it’s hard to stay interested in them. Hastings and his daughter, Diana (Mackenzie Davis), are far
more appealing.
He: Jon Stewart wrote the script, as well as directing. “Irresistible” didn’t strike me as literary gold, but there are a couple of
pretty good lines. Diana Hastings shows she’s on the same page as you when she says, “The system, the way we elect people, is terrifying—and exhausting.” Then there’s the description somebody offers of candidate Hastings, “Like Bill Clinton with impulse control, like a churchgoing Bernie Sanders.” The movie is to be digitally released June 26. Truth be told, it’s not a flick that’ll have folks clamoring for theaters to reopen. Grade: C.
She: “Irresistible” isn’t without its funny moments, although they sometimes seem contrived and/or stereotypical—such as Zimmer’s attempts to pose cows for a Hastings press conference. Certainly the issue of campaign finance rules is a timely one and worth a cinematic moment. “Irresistible” just wasn’t the right candidate. Grade: B-
