No one could have predicted the fact that films like writer/director Jon Stewart’s political comedy Irresistible would be premiering on premium VOD instead of in traditional theaters in 2020. Yet as current events eventually dictated a new type of thinking to kee pthe stream of fresh content headed to audiences spending more time at home, a new opportunity presented itself for movies that may have gotten lost in the shuffle at the box office. Which is something Stewart himself is excited about, as it gives audiences a chance to reexamine Irresistible twists and turns upon a second viewing.
Our own Sean O’Connell got to speak with Jon Stewart about the Steve Carell-starring comedy, which hits the Digital rental market today as part of Focus Features’ efforts to stay somewhat on schedule with its 2020 release calendar. During this conversation, Stewart seized the notion of being able to immediately rewatch the movie, with the following enthusiasm:
I do hope that there’s some pleasure in a second viewing, where you can kind of watch the popcorn being laid on the trail, and see where it was going the full time.
You wouldn’t think that a comedy like Irresistible would be something that might require a spoiler warning, as it looks like a carefree, but extremely funny, night at the movies. However, after reading Jon Stewart’s analogy involving a trail of popcorn leading to the film’s ending, it’s starting to look like it may be a good idea to stay away from social media before seeing it for yourself. After all, the 48-hour rental window will allow you to see things again from a more critical lens, armed with the knowledge of where the candidacy of Chris Cooper’s Jack Hastings eventually leads.
The rental window is a definite advantage when thinking about how, under the normal distribution model, you’d have to pay the price of another ticket to see Irresistible again, in hopes of getting the full experience. While that approach isn’t a bad thing, the fact that you can rewatch the movie you’ve just rented at any time within two days of that first viewing is a most appreciated silver lining to theaters being closed. You can hear Jon Stewart discuss the finer points of this Irresistible opportunity with Sean O’Connell, in the full clip from their interview below:
Focus Features has certainly seen this sort of success with previous releases like Trolls: World Tour and The High Note, with the former title in particular leading to some repeated viewings in many households who decided to click “Rent” upon its unveiling. Much like the kids who wanted to see Branch and Poppy sing and dance their way to harmony multiple times in one rental, adults will now be able to watch Steve Carell and Rose Byrne go head to head in the political arena as many times as they want.
Irresistible is currently available for premium VOD rental.
