By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Television comedian-turned-writer and director
Jon Stewart has had plenty of time on his hands since departing ?The Daily Show? in 2015. Certainly, enough time to deliver a lively, funny, and thought-provoking political movie like his latest offering,
?Irresistible? which he wrote and directed.
In ?Irresistible,? Steve Carell stars as Gary Zimmer, a tightly wound and arrogant Democratic Party strategist who was an integral part of Hillary Clinton?s 2016 presidential campaign.
He?s still reeling from that devastating loss. As a campaign manager, how do you rebound from that?
Well, Gary (Carell) may be on to something when he sees a viral video of a farmer and former Marine named Colonel Jack Hastings (the always fantastic Chris Cooper, ?Little Women? and TV?s ?Homecoming?). Chris lives in Deerlaken, Wisconsin and during a town hall meeting, Jack is taking Republican mayor Braun (Brent Sexton, TV?s ?Chicago P.D.?) to task over some policies he wants to implement.
Gary is so impressed by Jack?s passionate presentation, that he sees an opportunity to make a political comeback using this guy. Jack has the right stuff to make people on both sides of the aisle take notice. He?s a hero who embodies family values and loves his country. In fact, Gary tells one of his donors that Jack is "like Bill Clinton with impulse control, or a church-going Bernie Sanders with better bone density.?
That is funny and among the best lines in ?Irresistible.?
Although Gary is hell-bent on making Jack Deerlaken?s first-ever Democratic mayor, it won?t be easy even with the political masterminds he?s brought in to help run the campaign like Kurt (Topher Grace, TV?s ?The Twilight Zone?) and Tina (Natasha Lyonne, Upcoming ?The United States vs. Billie Holiday?).
Gary?s plans hit some major bumps when his fierce rival, Faith Brewster (a crazy Rose Byrne, ?Like a Boss? and TV?s ?Mrs. America?) arrives to campaign for Mayor Braun (Sexton).
Faith and Gary?s love hate relationship is worthy of a few laughs, but that tongue lick is something else. Not sure which one of them enjoyed that more.
With ?Irresistible? Stewart illustrates just how calculating and cold-blooded the political landscape has become or actually always has been. As for the film?s flip-the-script final act, well as the saying goes, don?t hate the player, hate the game.
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Check Out This Trailer For
"IRRESISTIBLE"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of The Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.