Much like the landscape itself, political comedy is destined to prove more divisive than ever given the current climate, but it would help if the offerings made available had a lot more meat on their bones than 2020’s disappointing Irresistible, which wasted a top-tier assemblage of talent on either side of the camera to play it far too safe.
Written and directed by the outspoken and often incendiary Jon Stewart, Steve Carrel heads up the cast as a Democratic political consultant who assists a retired Marine colonel in seeking the mayorship of a small town in Wisconsin, turning what was supposed to be a friendly race for local office into a multi-million dollar media attraction that gains nationwide attention.
The stacked supporting roster also includes Chris Cooper, Rose Byrne, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, and plenty other proven stars, but the end result was a middling exploration on how unrestricted financing can turn any campaign into something between a circus and sideshow, but none of the sociopolitical jabs landed as intended.
Irresistible did do decent numbers on VOD when it was first released in July 2020, but an apathetic 40 percent Rotten Tomatoes score ensured that it didn’t live long in the memory. However, now that Stewart’s first directorial effort in six years has been made available on Netflix, it’s been riding a renewed wave of momentum.
As per FlixPatrol, Irresistible has been soaring on the platform’s global charts, even managing to secure a Top 10 finish in the United Kingdom. That’s a solid return for a very American look at politics, but it’s still a little too late for the film to make much of a dent in the cultural conversation.