IRRESISTIBLE : Tuesday 20th October 2020

'IRRESISTIBLE' which I saw at my local multiplex earlier this week is an M Rated American political comedy film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jon Stewart. The film was released in selected theatres and through Premium Video on Demand in the US at the back end of June, has so far taken US$253K and has generated mixed or average Reviews. Stewart's only other previous film making gig was with 'Rosewater' in 2014, although he has written numerous television series and specials, has forty-eight Producer credits and thirty-four Actor credits to his name too and has hosted his own long running television show, the Academy Awards (twice) and the Grammy Awards (twice) too amongst other things. 

After the opening credits sequence in which we see still photographs of a number of ex-US Presidents all from within living memory in various states of relaxed playfulness, we cut to a scene in which the successful Democratic Party campaign consultant Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell) is in a state of despair following the results of the 2016 presidential election. Zimmer is a few days later shown a video that has gone viral of Marine Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) turned local respected farmer standing up for the immigrant population of his hometown of Deerlaken, Wisconsin at a local town hall meeting chaired by Mayor Braun (Brent Sexton). At his Washington D.C. office surrounded by a number of his staffers, Zimmer makes the decision that if he can run Hastings as the Democratic mayoral candidate in the next town election, then he stands a good chance of convincing the people in the American heartland to vote Democrat in the next presidential election. 

Zimmer travels to Deerlaken in order to convince Hastings to run for mayor. Upon arriving, it would be fair to say that Zimmer is somewhat surprised and shocked by the cultural divide that exists between the ordinary rural dwelling townsfolk of Deerlaken compared to the cut & thrust, take no prisoners cashed up privileged existence of life in Washington D.C. After spending a day helping out on Hastings' farm, Zimmer meets with Diana Hastings (Mackenzie Davis), the 28 year old daughter of the Colonel, and he then pitches this idea to them both. Initially the Colonel is not struck on the idea, but Zimmer can be very convincing when he wants to be. After some reluctance, the Colonel agrees but upon condition that Zimmer personally runs the campaign from Deerlaken himself, because after all, the Colonel considers himself conservative with no real leanings towards politics, or experience in this field. 

Following his first introduction to a small gathered group of townsfolk at his farm in front of assembled cameras, the Colonel recruits his friends and neighbours as campaign volunteers to aid his efforts. A number of setbacks soon come to the fore including the fact that most of the town appears conservative and that the incumbent Mayor Braun is being funded directly by the Republican National Committee. The RNC sends Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne) Zimmer's arch nemesis to Deerlaken, to counteract him.

Zimmer decides he needs to take Hastings to New York to meet the powerbrokers there - especially the ones with the deep pockets prepared to donate to his campaign. Arriving at the private lavish townhouse residence of a Mr. Peeler (Bruce Altman), Hastings gives an impassioned speech to the gathered group of potential donors and how he needs their collective help to save his small town in country Wisconsin. On the flight back Zimmer is overcome with emotion recounting Hastings speech, and over the ensuing days the donations come flooding in, so allowing Zimmer to upgrade their approach and enlist the technology and the human resources to make a difference and thwart the incumbent mayor, Braun. 

As a result Hastings who was lagging behind in the polls to Braun, soon catches him up and they are fairly evenly matched. However, just as things appear to be going in Hastings favour, the campaign takes a nose dive when one of Zimmer's team members Tina De Tessant (Natasha Lyonne) advertises a pro-contraceptive platform to a group of single women who turn out to be nuns. Needless to see the media, and Faith Brewster, have a field day.

When Zimmer starts going off at his campaign mates, which he often does in public and in private but often being overheard, Diana convinces him to apologise and that if he is going to run her father's campaign, he needs to be more civil. When it begins to look like Braun is going to win the election, Zimmer tries to convince Hastings and Diana to play dirty and start exploiting the skeletons in Braun's cupboards. Diana is mortified that Zimmer would even consider playing dirty tricks and goes to Braun for advice. Braun and Diana decide to secretly reveal a bigger scandal about Braun so Zimmer will not go after Braun's brother, which was his original plan. The scandal it is later revealed is fake.

On the day of the election, only two votes are cast - one for each candidate, which confuses both Zimmer and Brewster. In the town hall where the candidates and their campaign staffers are all gathered to hear the final results it is revealed that the election was in fact an elaborate ruse orchestrated by Diana. She shot the video of her father's immigration speech so that Zimmer and Brewster would watch it and ultimately campaign to pour thousands of dollars into the election, which would help the town through its financial trouble due to the earlier closure of the military base there. Diana conceded that they were only looking to raise US$750K to keep Deerlaken's High School open, but they actually raised US$45M. Zimmer is shocked that Diana would play him in such a way and Diana then explains the town set this up because the D.C. politicians play small towns like theirs all the time. When Zimmer reveals that he was hoping that there was a spark between them, Diana rejects him. Fast forward six months and Diana and her Dad are seen laying out plans for several new buildings and businesses in Deerlaken and extensions to the High School with the US$45M in donations received. Diana becomes the mayor of Deerlaken after a special election, and in closing we are shown three possible love interests involving Zimmer with Diana, Zimmer with Faith Brewster, and Zimmer with Ann (Blair Sims - the owner of the local Cafe, who plies him everyday with coffee and blueberry streusel). 

As political satires go, this film isn't great, but it isn't bad either. There are no laugh out loud moments here, but it did raise a few smirks and chuckles along the way mostly thanks to the comedic expressions, one liners and deadpan delivery of Steve Carell playing the Democratic campaign activist with a sadistic streak but his heart is still in the right place. Rose Byrne also puts in a good turn, as the campaign activist on the other side of the fence but tarred with the same brush as Carell's character, while Chris Cooper and Mackenzie Davis's characters were left somewhat undercooked. As for the Writer and Director Jon Stewart who has crafted a career out of political satire I would have expected a story with a little more cutting edge sharpness and relevance to todays American political landscape - instead he opts for a middle of road, non-committal crowd pleaser that doesn't always land, but the twist in the tale at the end and the chemistry between Carell and Byrne are redeeming payoffs. Also starring Topher Grace and Debra Messing.

'Irresistible' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-