Et tu, Jon Stewart? Of all the people I would expect not to downplay the critical dysfunction in the Republican Party, you? You make me sad. And for a funny guy; your movie ain’t funny.
Among the massive political failures of 2020 is the fingernails-on-a-chalkboard film Irresistible in which writer/director Jon Stewart attempted to understand the mindset of the semi-rural purple staters. And whether he did or he did not, Mr. Stewart completely missed the main political theme of 2020: a man and a party so desperate to hold onto power that they would sell out anything beginning with truth and public health.
Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell) is a powerful Democratic political strategist fresh off the (failed) 2016 campaign. He catches a youtube video of Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) –now a retired Wisconsin farmer—ranting truisms about American values at a local town hall. Seeking a victory in a purple state, Zimmer decides to play kingmaker, rushing to the semi-rural hamlet and promoting Hastings as the dark horse for mayor of Deerlaken. His attention attracts foes and soon Republican strategist Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne) shows up to humiliate Zimmer.
Of course, it isn’t like a strategist to go after another strategist rather than a candidate, but Zimmer makes himself an easy target – for whatever good intentions Gary might have, his big city-isms seem hopelessly out-of-touch, and he’s caught more than once being vulgar at exactly the wrong time. I’m sure the latter is intended for humor, but it strikes me as ill-conceived and false. The last thing a political consultant wants to do is be the face of his candidate (especially while showing the candidate in an ugly light). That defies the entire role. And, dare I say, that goes twice for Democrats, who are constantly held to a higher standard than their Republican colleagues –and if you have problems with that statement, I direct you precisely to #45 and his mountain of trolls, toadies, criminals, and broken laws. Not even Nixon’s cabinet approached this one for: “things you wouldn’t dare let a Democrat think, let alone do.”
Irresistible plays this game of small town politics being consumed by big town politics. That serves as both the joke and the entire point of the film. The film doesn’t lack for cringe; it’s a practically a selling point. Steve Carell himself ceases being a parody about a half-way in and continues on for, sadly, the worst performance of his career. But that’s ok, I think, because the message is that the town is where our sympathy should lie, not the main character. It’s an easy sell in that the town seems both genuine and good-natured; it’s a tough sell in that the political strategists not only never leave the screen, but they multiply like the bugs in Wreck-It Ralph.
To say the film wasn’t a winner for me is a grand understatement; it was tough to watch and tougher to swallow. It wasn’t funny enough to sell on that score and the politics is way, way off target. It’s not necessarily wrong; it’s just misguided, like preparing for an algebra test by noting that you’re wearing 
mismatching socks. This and The Hunt were the big political statements in theaters last spring and neither lasted long enough to have an impact on any race; there are good reasons for that.
The critical lesson we take from the Trump administration is that the Republican Party is no longer a viable instrument of conservatism; it is now a powerful and dangerous cult whose philosophy lies somewhere between nihilism and fascism. It no longer believes in free elections or fair play and cannot wait to dispute [read: cheat] the next time it anticipates losing. For any political pundit not to recognize this –especially one who has so often been a critic of the Republican Party- is to announce broadly and boldly, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
In this film, Jon Stewart sympathizes with the “simple” smalltown folk of Wisconsin and their frustrations, which –if I’m understanding this correctly—amount to political bigwigs pouring attention and money into these obscure backwater havens and then blowing town after the election and leaving a mess of unfulfilled promises in their wake. I dunno if folks from Wisconsin or Pennsylvania or New Mexico or wherever actually believe this, but to this mentality, I say, “Oh, boo hoo. Poor, put-upon you.” You friggin’ sound like MAGA (“politicians only cater to my dark desires 80% of the time”). The United States contains 330 MILLION people. Most of us will never meet a President or even a presidential candidate in our lifetime. That’s ok. We don’t need to. We just need our elected officials to consider all of us people before they make decisions. You guys have the ear of presidential candidates and all you want to do is save coal jobs? What a waste. This is why the Electoral College doesn’t work – precisely because your vote shouldn’t count more than the vote of myself or Bill Gates or Cletus the slack-jawed yokel. The fact that it does, and the fact that there is one party dead set on tilting the table even more in its favor -far ahead of promoting a policy or philosophy of any kind- is exactly what’s wrong with America’s politics. The money, the racism, the demagoguery, the lies, and the small-town buffoonery are all just side-effects. Jon Stewart should know that better than anybody else.
Pols show up in a cowtown to beg “Pretty please”
Thinking their big city show will win in a breeze
The problem when you cater
Is that, sooner-or-later
We all end up with Wisconsin cheese
Rated R, 101 Minutes
Director: Jon Stewart
Writer: Jon Stewart
Genre: Failed political statements
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Small town purple staters, I imagine
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Electoral College dropouts
