bob the moo Review of Irresistible

Irresistible (I) (2020)

Perhaps too gentle and lacking teeth, but it almost seems quaint and more entertaining for it

[23 August 2020]

This film seems to have been met with a slightly lukewarm reception, and I can see why because it is a political satire from Jon Stewart and as such it is fair to expect it to have the sharp rage and teeth that his best material did back in TDS days. The truth is that the film doesn't have that, and if you expect it then maybe that is a problem. However the film comes out in a world where every tweet is political, every comedian is overwhelmed with Presidential madness to work with, and generally speaking we are all overwhelmed with scandal and outrage, so maybe a film adding to that endless scream isn't something we needed?

Irresistible certainly is not that scream, even though it goes after money in politics pretty well. With a very 'Local Hero' vibe, big money politics are dropped into a mayoral race, and the big smart political activist has to deal with simple hicks. The jokes mostly dig at the political class being clueless, rather than the local people, and it is all reasonably obvious and gently mocking. It isn't great, and it has a few moments that fall flat, but most of it is gently funny and engaging for what it is. I'm unlikely to remember it for long, or to revisit it in the future, but it was gentle fun and it was nice to be reminded of a time when politics was just a mess, not the catastrophe it currently is.