Freeze Frame: “Irresistible” (R), “Eurovision Song Contest” (PG-13), “My Spy” (PG-13), “Nobody Knows I’m Here” (Not rated)

Comedian and commentator Jon Stewart steps behind the camera for the second time with the political satire, “Irresistible.” Steve Carell stars as a big time Democratic strategist who gets involved in a small-town mayoral race. The oversized role of money in politics is the movie’s main target. While it generates some laughs, “Irresistible” lacks the depth and bite needed to make it an effective election year commentary.

 

“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” is a Will Ferrell spoof about an Icelandic goofball whose goal in life is to win Europe’s biggest music competition. It’s predictably silly, broad and absurd, but painfully overlong and almost totally devoid of laughs. It’s still early, but “Eurovision” is a contender for worst movie of the year.

 

“My Spy” is better, but that’s not saying much. In this riff on the “Kindergarten Cop” setup, Dave Bautista plays a CIA operative who, through a series of merry mix-ups, winds up training a precocious kid to be a spy. This territory has been explored many times before, but “My Spy” is an inoffensive time waster.

 

Jorge Garcia from TV’s “Lost” stars in an arty Chilean drama, “Nobody Knows I’m Here.” Garcia plays a troubled recluse still suffering from a traumatic childhood experience when he was attempting to make it as a singing star. The filmmakers employ some magic realism to embellish the themes of this tricky work. It’s an empathetic character study for patient viewers.

 

Your local art house theaters are offering online viewing options for a number of  intriguing movie titles. More information is available at nelson-atkins.org, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.


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