Irresistible (2006) - Umbrella Entertainment Collector's Edition

Adultery – Has there ever been another theme more explored in the history of cinema? The destruction of marriage by an interloper is designed to dredge up the strongest emotional responses possible. The unraveling of a union while another person preys upon a character’s deepest-seated instincts, including lust and violence, can turn a film into camp hijinks or more serious as the story focuses on the dissolution of marriage. Irresistible, the 2006 drama written and directed by Ann Turner, attempts to thread the needle between serious and camp to somewhat-maudlin effect. A young Emily Blunt torturing Susan Sarandon lightly about her age and lack of power over her husband? There’s plenty to chew on throughout, but unfortunately the execution can often work against that kind of narrative impact.

Irresistible follows Sophie (Sarandon), wife to successful architect Craig (Neill), as she becomes consumed with the thought that Craig’s new IT assistant, Mara (Blunt), is trying to steal her husband and family away from her. This obsession forces Sophie to do some sleuthing on her own. But when does Sophie’s behavior become no better than Mara’s behavior? That line is explored as Sophie’s mental state dissolves and puts strain on her marriage and family.

The set-up for all the action in Irresistible will feel overwhelmingly familiar, which explains why Ann Turner chose to spend less time explaining her characters away because the audience is smart enough to understand all the subgenre motions. The focus being on Sophie’s mental dissolution moves the film in a positive, constructive direction. It’s just that the film doesn’t have the wit or verve to untangle that thread without devolving into histrionics. 

For a film so deeply informed by Albert Hitchcock’s greatest works, it’s a bit of a shame to find Sam Neill’s well-layered performance as a straight man confounded by women pushed below the list of the film’s priorities. Emily Blunt lays it on thick and is nearly in a different movie entirely, although the one she’s in would have certainly been more fun and reflexive than what we have here. Tired dramaturgy this isn’t entirely, rather a disappointing show of competent showmanship being given to a story with too much vagueness. All in all, if you find yourself enjoying the warmed-over thrillers from the 1990s, then you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. I was just disappointed.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-rays

Umbrella’s new Blu-ray release of Irresistible is…simply irresistible? This release offers a single BD50 disc that houses the HD feature and supplements, and the main menu fires up with options to play the film, set up audio, explore bonus features, and select chapters. The disc is housed in a clear amaray case with reversible artwork, then an o-card slipcover with spot gloss goes over it. And if you splurged on the Collector’s Edition from the Umbrella website, then the amaray case with o-card slipcover is housed in a rigid box that also includes a perfect-bound booklet, art cards, and a poster. 

Despite no notes about the included transfer, this 1080p presentation framed at 1.85 is clearly a sizable upgrade over the previously released DVD of the film, offering enhanced clarity with a decent AVC encode to support it. Film grain is appreciable for this low-budget production, primaries are tuned in well and aren’t too showy, plus the cooler tones of the production design are showcased well. Black levels are decently tuned and the transfer doesn’t suffer from any black crush. Still not sure of the source used for this transfer, but props to Umbrella Entertainment for clearly making it look good.

We’re provided with a single 2.0 DTS-HD MA stereo track for this release, and on a whole it sounds rather good. Again, this is a low-budget production without much dynamic range in sound outside of the heightened scenes of suspense. The track is mostly front focused but is well-balanced between dialogue and music. Source seems to be in good condition as I didn’t detect damage to note here.

As for supplements, Umbrella Entertainment has rolled out the red carpet for Irresistible with a terrific new audio commentary by Ann Turner and producer Sue Maslin. Turner speaks at length about her approach to the work, wanting to create something localized but rooted in old cinema language and the obstacles of working with the cast. You’ll find much to learn in this commentary track about independent filmmaking, plus the Film Locations of Irresistible featurette by Paul Hagl has a great time in showing you where all the magic happened. If you splurged for the Collector’s Edition of Irresistible, then you’ll be able to enjoy a terrific 48-page booklet featuring illuminating booklet essays by Athena Bellas and Digby Houghton, behind-the-scenes interviews and art prepared for this release. The booklet is a wonderful companion to the film.

Disc extras include:

• Audio Commentary with writer/director Ann Turner and producer Sue Maslin 
• Film Locations of Irresistible -2024 video essay by Paul Hagl (HD 17:02)
• Behind the Scenes 2006 featurette (SD 11:40)
• Trailer (HD 2:09)

Infidelity is afoot in Irresistible…or is it? Umbrella Entertainment seeks to answer that question with their great Blu-ray release of Irresistible, Ann Turner’s twisty drama starring Sam Neill, Susan Sarandon and Emily Blunt. Umbrella provides the film with a stable new HD transfer and a litany of special features to dig through. This release is Worth a Look!

Order the standard edition: