47
Metascore
49 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75ConsequenceBlake GobleConsequenceBlake GobleYes, Irresistible is a farce about political theater, and an often painfully funny one, but it’s also a deeply unnerving manifesto on the pundit economy, campaign financing, and the narcissism, ego, and collective amnesia it all fosters.
- 75USA TodayBrian TruittUSA TodayBrian TruittIrresistible lives up to its title with an enchanting twist on a well-trod narrative and thankfully brings back the gifted satirical mind that our crazy world has sorely missed.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperThis is a relatively gentle indictment of the cynical, money-driven political system, bolstered by winning performances from the ensemble cast. The insightful screenplay by Stewart takes Hollywood’s tendency to condescend to small-town America and turns it upside down in clever fashion.
- 70Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzWhen he’s on, Stewart’s skewer is sharp indeed.
- 63LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenPenetrating as it is, Irresistible exists not to score political points, but to call for a renewal of the American political process.
- 50The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdWhen the wisdom being imparted is this conventional, you better find a dramatically or comedically satisfying way to package it. Stewart hasn’t.
- 50IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichA Capra-esque moral comedy that unfolds with all the subtlety of sky writing and none of the same panache, “Irresistible” is a perverse bid for clarity that feels like it was left behind like a relic from some long-distant past.
- 42The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupThis tedious film’s biggest issues don’t lie with its simplification of politics or often taking the feel-good easy route, but rather how flat the comedy lands. This in part due to how weakly formed its characters are across the board, as well as the peculiar tonal approach that is taken.
- 25The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzIrresistible is toothless, it is weak-willed and it is depressingly unaware of either of these facts. If this is indeed Stewart’s response to the madness of the Trump era, then we should all be glad that he decided to depart The Daily Show when he did. It is clear that he didn’t have anything left to say.
- 20The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThe supposed satirical attitude of Irresistible can’t conceal the fact that it’s contrived, unfunny and redundant.