Irresistible Blu Ray Review (Universal)
Irresistible is a 2020 political comedy film written, produced, & directed by Jon Stewart (Rosewater). It’s partially inspired by the 2017 special election for Georgia’s 6th congressional district. It was produced by Brad Pitt (Ad Astra, Vice, The Departed, Kick-Ass 1/2, 12 Years a Slave, Moonlight, The Big Short, & World War Z). Due to Covid-19, a big theatrical release was cancelled. It was mainly released on Video on Demand with a small theater run which it made $211,835 at the box office. Successful Democratic Party campaign consultant Gary Zimmer (played by: Steve Carell from The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Office, Date Night, & Anchorman 1/2) is in despair due to the results of the 2016 presidential election. Gary is shown a viral video of Marine Colonel Jack Hastings (played by: Chris Cooper from The Town, American Beauty, Adaptation, & Bourne franchise) giving a speech standing up for the undocumented immigrant population living in his hometown of Deerlaken, Wisconsin. Deciding that if he can run Hastings as the Democratic mayoral candidate in the next election, he can convince the American people in the heartland to vote Democrat in the next presidential election, Zimmer travels to Deerlaken to persuade Hastings to run against his town’s incumbent mayor. Arriving in Deerlaken, Gary experiences the vast cultural divide between his home of Washington, D.C. & the townspeople’s more rural mannerisms. Gary soon meets Hastings & his daughter Diana (played by: Mackenzie Davis from Terminator: Dark Fate, The Martian, Blade Runner 2049, & Freaks of Nature). He pitches his idea to the family. Hastings agrees to run under the condition that Gary runs his campaign. Hastings recruits his friends & neighbors as volunteers for the campaign. Mayor Braun (played by: Brent Sexton from The Killing, The Belko Experiment, & Life) is being funded by the Republican National Committee. The RNC also sends down Faith Brewster (played by: Rose Byrne from Damages, Neighbors 1/2, 28 Weeks Later, & Insidious franchise), Gary’s nemesis to compete against the ambitious Gary. The election polls show Hastings & Braun neck and neck. When it starts to look like Faith & Braun are going to win, Gary tries to convince the Hastings to play dirty. Who will win this election after it’s all said & done? Will they keep their morals or will they be lost to experience victory????
I am usually not a big fan of political comedies but Irresistible was actually good. Comedian, actor, & TV host Jon Stewart directs his second full length feature with this one. You know Stewart, this is the perfect material for him. The script & story were on point, it had more than a few laugh out loud moments in this. Steve Carell has been doing more serious projects lately so it was great to see him revisit his comedic roots in Irresistible. He is one of my favorite comedians & I honestly think damn near everything he does is hilarious. This one is no different, he has great chemistry with the leads here. Rose Byrne is always nice eye candy but she is also a talented actress. She is kinda the opposite of Carell when it comes to her career. She started out doing serious & darker features but she’s been doing lots of comedies lately. You wouldn’t expect it but she’s actually pretty funny. Chris Cooper never gives a bad performance & he’s the heart of the movie. His character is trying to save his small town & he’s doing stuff he’s not really conformable with to help fix everything. This was a very different look, role, & performance from Mackenzie Davis. She’s usually plays the bad ass role but he tries her hand at some comedy here. This is probably the best performance that I’ve seen from her so far. It had a solid supporting cast that included Brent Sexton, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Will Sasso, William Smith, & Bruce Altman. Irresistible had a solid balance of laughs mixed with some drama. It was better than expected & I think it would have done great at the box office if there was no pandemic going on. It kept me entertained the whole time & it had an interesting ending, It’s definitely refreshing to be able to review a brand new film from this year because that’s been rare lately, RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Universal Pictures! This 1080p (1.67:1) transfer looks better than expected & it really captures that small town feel when it comes to the locations in this. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid but it’s not one of those films that is going to be blast through your speakers. The music really shines on it & it’s the highlight of that technical feature. All of the dialogue is crystal clear so you don’t miss out on any of the hilarious moments here. It also has English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.
Let’s discuss the special features from Universal Pictures! A little over 20 minutes of “Deleted and Extended Scenes” which includes Gary Alone in Hotel, Diana Questions Gary, Big Mike Helps Gary, Diana and Jack on Beach, NYC Car Ride, Faces in Gary’s Face, Gary Gets News Coverage, Jack and Campaign Aide, Debate Prep with Tina and Kurt, Tina Knows Baseball, Ambassador’s Lounge 2, Church 1, Church 2, Diana and Faith Outside Ann’s, Jack and Braun Debate, Gary Apologizes in Bed, & Diana and Jack, Election Morning. This is definitely the best extra on this release. A decent amount was cut from the final film. I think a few of these should have been included but for the most part I agree with Stewart’s decision to leave them on the cutting room floor. “Gag Reel” is almost 6 minutes of funny outtakes from the production. “An Irresistible Story” is a little over 4 minutes. It has interviews with director Jon Stewart, actors Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Topher Grace, & Natasha Lyonne. They chat about the film & the production. They talk about the story & concept for it. They bring up how it fits current events. “The Cast of Irresistible” is almost 4 minutes. It has interviews with director Jon Stewart, actors Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Topher Grace, & Natasha Lyonne. They chat about the characters & the cast for Irresistible. They talk about the comedy & chemistry between everyone. “Taking the Lead: Jon Stewart” is a little over 3 minutes. It has interviews with cast & crew. They chat about working with writer & director Jon Stewart on this. They talk about his dialogue & how it feels so natual rather than just being scripted. They bring up that this is the perfect subject for the known TV host. It also has a slipcover, a digital code, & a DVD copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Funny