Cinemavenger

   The funniest, nastiest movie reviews anywhere.

Irresistible

I've been saying for years that anyone who buys into the Republican vs. Democrat, Left vs. Right bullshit is part of the fucking problem. It's Haves vs. Have-Nots, people! Figure it the fuck out or watch things go from Worserer to Please Kill Me faster than you can say, "We know he's guilty, but we're voting to acquit him anyway."

I'm also obviously a movie-lover, so imagine my flabbergasted surprise when my sainted mother, who watches maybe one new release a year, was the first person in the entire universe to mention Irresistible to me. It's a movie by Jon "The Artist Formerly Known As The Daily Show Host" Stewart about how beyond broken America's political system is.

Some mysteries aren't at all. Irresistible, a purported political dramedy, hadn't made it onto my radar (or yours, most likely) because it's as political, dramatic, and comedic as a kindergarten class deciding who gets to choose which book the teacher reads during story time. 

I liked Stewart on The Daily Show. His success in that role should inspire every other mediocre talent out there that if you search long and hard enough, you might just find your niche. Stewart tried to be an actor and failed spectacularly (see: Half Baked). Judging from Irresistible, which Stewart wrote and directed, he can't write or direct for shit either. Even so, Stewart is a multimillionaire because he found the one thing he was good at, which means there's hope for the rest of us misfits.

Gary Zimmer (Steve "Ok" Carell), a democratic strategist still butthurt about Trump beating Hillary, thinks he's found a down-home JFK and heads to flyover country to help make that man his tiny town's new mayor. Zimmer's right wing counterpart, Faith Brewster ("Axl" Rose Byrne), follows close behind, and the two dump tens of millions of dollars into a race for what they see as the future of their parties.

Things, of course, go sideways, but hilarity does not ensue. Stewart makes his Big Point about just how fucked the system really is, but the whole is way the fuck less than the sum of its parts. Stewart made all these points better and funnier back in The Daily Show days.

Fortunately for Johnny Boy, Hollywood knows exactly what to do with people who can't act, write, or direct. Make them producers! Keep fighting the good fight, Jon . . . as a producer who lets better writers, directors, and actors make the actual art.

February 19, 2021