Irresistible

This film came out just when it needed to. An unbiased look at American politics and how BOTH parties take advantage of the very people they're supposed to help.

Top notch actors playing characters you will love and then those you love to hate. Easily could have been another run of the mill take on a story we'll all seen before, but thanks to Jon Stewart we got something refreshing that also manages to subvert your expectations.

Definitely worth a watch. 7/10

A very slow burn with a story you feel you've seen 100 times before, but when it finally gets where it's going it has a refreshing twist and decent commentary on elections.

Good idea but I wish you didn't have to wait an hour for the movie to pick up.

Those who expect Jon Stewart's political comedy to be a left-wing screed will be either disappointed or relieved. This satire is truly as "fair and balanced" as certain others deceptively claim to be. It's a gutshot to our entire electoral system, showing both sides of The Aisle to be equally guilty, guilty, guilty.

Steve Carell stars as a seasoned Democratic political strategist who finds a viral You Tube clip of a small town man (Chris Cooper) in Wisconsin, making a stirring speech for the rights of others in a city hall meeting, opposing the pompous mayor and his council.. He learns that the folksy, yet eloquent fellow is a veteran and farmer, which is just what his party needs to start winning back blue-collar and rural Midwestern voters. He knows The Party and Cooper have matching values and beliefs, even though the town and state have been voting Republican.

Carell, a city guy who's (often hilariously) out of his element when trying to fit it there, rushes to the town to convince Cooper to run for mayor, breaking the Republicans' lock on the area and state. He wants Cooper to become the new face of the party. Cooper reluctantly agrees. A Republican operative (Rose Byrne), who's Carell's counterpart and frequent nemesis, sees the threat Cooper poses to their hold on that part of the base, and storms in with her minions to help the mayor keep his seat. Both parties smell a potential national impact from this minor race, and start pouring huge dollars into the fray, cranking up all the donors and tactics usually reserved for bigger stages. Both sides seem comparably desperate, and completely out of touch with the locals they're trying to woo.

This film has all the wit and cynicism of political satires akin to 1997's brilliant Wag the Dog, or earlier efforts from A Face in the Crowd and Manchurian Candidate on the dramatic side to comedies like Bulworth and Primary Colors. Both sides court a demographic group they little understand. Both are classic fish out of water who take far too long to realize how misguided their entire approach to elections has become. Various tactics either seem to work only in the short run, or backfire - sometimes spectacularly.

The wisdom of those "regular people" is greater than the Beltway Insiders understand. The clever plot delivers laughs, poignancy and a genuinely satisfying resolution. We meet a town of good people, not a bunch of rubes to be bought or manipulated by outsiders. Everyone grows wiser and more understanding of others by the end. We can all learn while we laugh at an extremely timely tale like this.

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.

Genuine honest review: Jon Stewart is always going to deliver a harsh reality. An entertaining film with enough giggles in. A lovely cast of very fine actors. Well written and well directed.

This was always going to be a left leaning film until you then realise it isn't. Hard for either side of the stale debate to shout unfair.

I enjoyed the ride but felt like I could have done with more of a rollercoaster. I felt it remained a little safe. It didn't spoil the film but prevented a higher rating.

The final act was an interesting take on the story. You could call it a twist. And the message did hit home. But I am sick to death of knowing this message and yet still NOTHING gets done to fix things. But back to the film...

This is an enjoyable film with laughs and a serious message. Worth watching just for the scene near the end where the cake is eaten on the bed. Made me laugh. I recommend this film. I recommend it to the LEFT and the RIGHT. To people who still Want to care...