Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Irresistible

By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Jon Stewart's profane political comedy lands a bit softly.

Movie R 2020 101 minutes
Irresistible Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 18+

A poor movie!

age 15+

Humor ranges throughout the movie

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Jon Stewart's directorial chops in comedy are just as sharp as his delivery a decade ago on The Daily Show. Irresistible is a kick in the pants. Stewart is a master of blending reality and parody in the political news world, and his feature comedy writing and directing debut is laugh-out-loud funny, even if you're watching alone. What's slipped a bit is his ability to make ground-breaking, earth-shattering revelations. Political operatives are sleazy? Yep, we know. Small town folk are nice? Uh-huh, nothing new. While the movie's story takes some surprising turns, the big message has been out there for a while: The U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which made it OK for corporations to contribute as much as they want to political campaigns, has mucked up the ways that campaigns are run, to no benefit of voters. Many viewers are likely to react with a nod, a yup, and a tsk-tsk, but Irresistible is unlikely to spur the activism that Stewart seems to be hoping to stir from both parties. The interview that runs during the last part of the movie's end credits is the only substantial reveal, and even then, it's news most of us already know.

Stewart is known to be a friend of those who identify as liberal, but, if anything, he's always tried to stand with reason. Here, he gives both "sides" of the United States a reason to laugh both at themselves (an excerpt from a real NPR piece is on-the-nose hysterical) and at each other, and he clearly wants voters to see that no one benefits from the way modern campaigns are funded. Greg is a very Carell character: obnoxious, arrogant, and successful despite his obvious shortcomings. Byrne has long shown that she can play terrible people with such flair that you can't imagine anyone doing it better -- and she's in peak performance as GOP strategist Faith Brewster, who has the look of Hope Hicks, the style of Ivanka Trump, and the fangs of Kellyanne Conway. While Gen Z is quickly becoming the most politically active generation since the teens of the late '60s, they're also less familiar with Stewart's work and less likely to bite on this concept, especially because it doesn't even touch on foreign influence in U.S. elections. Plus, the film is coming out at a time when teens are primarily focused on social justice. Stewart delivers an important message, but young people may be less likely to listen to it when they see greater issues at stake -- or, for that matter, when they don't see themselves reflected on-screen.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate