So what else is new, you may ask? And what
about, you know, everything else that’s
happened the last few years? Stewart’s enduring
influence is a double-edged sword here: Too
many folks have been waiting to find out what
he makes of what’s going on today, and they’ll
likely be disappointed not to find out — at least
not enough in this movie, which feels like it
takes place well before the election of Donald
Trump, even though it starts the next morning.
Yet “Irresistible” has its smart laughs and real
pleasures. For one thing, the lead actors are
perfectly cast, with Steve Carell managing to
both annoy and endear as a self-reverential
Democratic consultant, and Rose Byrne hilarious
as a Kellyanne Conway-esque Republican
campaign guru who loves bold colors, ruffles,
profanity and punctuation marks.
When we meet Gary Zimmer, he’s hiding in
bed the morning after his surefire candidate —
that would be Hillary Clinton — has lost. “He’s
probably halfway to Canada by now,” they’re
saying on “Morning Joe.”
Soon after, Gary’s shown a viral video of a farmer
in small-town Wisconsin, facing down the mayor
and city council with an eloquent speech on
behalf of undocumented workers. Jack Hastings
(a terrific Chris Cooper) is a retired Marine
colonel, to boot, and a widower who lives with
his lovely 28-year-old daughter, Diana (a spot-on
Mackenzie Davis).
Bells go off in Gary’s head: Swing state!
Reclaiming the heartland! Redemption! On his
rented private jet to Wisconsin, munching on his
specially ordered Caprese salad with mozzarella
balls, he studies the state’s Wikipedia page.