Jon Stewart may have been out of the limelight since stepping down as host of The Daily Show but he certainly has been busy. The man has been fighting for 9/11 first responders, running a animal sanctuary and has even popped up occasionally on his buddy Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show. He’s also been writing and directing too, it seems. The fruit of his labor, the new comedy Irresistible, received a trailer this morning and it feels exactly like the sort of satire we’d expect from America’s once-favorite newsman. You can watch the trailer above.
The movie follows a progressive political advisor (Steve Carell) who decides to manage the campaign of a small town mayoral candidate (Chris Cooper). But things get awfully complicated when a Republican operative (Rose Byrne) comes to town. Comedy ensues because, in movies, politics is actually funny and not utterly depressing and frustrating.
Irresistible looks funny if not a bit slight. I suppose I expected a few more gut-busters from a Jon Stewart comedy but, hey, this is just the first trailer. The film itself may prove to be much, much funnier. One thing is for sure: it’s great to see Stewart working on comedy again and it’s also great to see him reunited with his old pal Steve Carell. The rest of the cast is aces too and I am excited to see what Stewart does with them.
Keep in mind that Irresistible opens on May 29th, during the climax of the primary season and just months away from the presidential election. That means that Stewart will be making the interview rounds as the country inches closer to Election Day. Therefore, we may be getting some of Stewart’s wisdom and opinions about the president, his Democratic rival and the entire process. That is welcome, welcome news indeed.