Irresistible

"But this system, the way we elect people, it's terrifying and exhausting. And I think it drives us all crazy. You know what the real problem here is, is that the media is completely complicit." "

After a first film that went unnoticed in France (Rosewater (2014)), actor, director and screenwriter Jon Stewart once again offers us a film in which politics plays an important role, but this time it's more of a satire of the political world in which everything seems possible to win victory in the election of a small town in Wisconsin.

From the very beginning of the film, the scene is set. It is no coincidence that the film begins with the defeat of the Democrats in the presidential election. Gary Zimmer (Steve Carrell), who was in charge of helping Hillary Clinton come to power, is struggling to recover from his bitter failure. His desire to find a candidate capable of narrowing the wide gap between the party he represents and the working class sees him turning his attention to Navy colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper). Hastings had just given a speech to protect the undocumented immigrant population of his town of Deerlaken. Gary Zimmer decides to go to Deerlaken to help Jack Hastings come to power. Unfortunately for him, he will once again have to face a former political strategist who has decided to defend the other side in this municipal election.

Of course, director and screenwriter Jon Stewart's approach to orient his film by trying to remain credible at all times brings a certain dimension to the film but above all it detracts from its rhythm and freezes it in a too traditional scheme that really lacks originality. Despite the presence of an interesting cast, Steve Carell (Gary Zimmer), Rose Byrne (Faith Brewster), Chris Cooper (Jack Hastings), Mackenzie Davis (Diana Hastings), Topher Grace (Kurt) and Natasha Lyonne (Tina), the film really struggles to hold our attention and turns towards political satire with too little inventiveness.

It's therefore easier to understand that it was released directly on VOD in the US (with a limited theatrical release) and that it doesn't have any real visibility in France. In a period in which most cinemas remain closed in the United States and have only reopened since June 22nd in France, this film would have had more of a place in a VOD release than in the cinema. This is neither a Capra-style tale nor a political film like Adam McKay's Vice, which is due to a scenario that is too linear and a desire to be too politically correct. It would have been necessary to denounce in depth the American political system and especially to show that the current President Donal Trump (quoted at the beginning of the film) is currently leading the country more towards its loss than towards a real revival of the economy. In the current context of this world pandemic and the next American presidential elections, this film, if it had been supported by a better script, could have benefited from being discovered in the cinema. In this case, it is only a Hollywood comedy embodied by a luxurious cast but lacking real depth. A VOD release would have been more suitable for this film than a theatrical release in France.

Irresistible
Written and Directed by Jon Stewart
Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Jon Stewart, Lila Yacoub
Starring Steve Carell, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Rose Byrne
Music by Bryce Dessner
Cinematography : Bobby Bukowski
Edited by Jay Rabinowitz, Mike Selemon
Production companies : Plan B Entertainment, Busboy Productions
Distributed by Focus Features (United States), Universal Pictures International France (France)
Release date : June 26, 2020 (United States), July 1, 2020 (France)
Running time : 102 minutes

Seen on 26 June 2020 in VOD

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