Directed by Pamela Corkey and written by Andrew Shearer, Holy Irresistible begins with a young boy named Ivy losing his parents due to a car accident. A lady was singing (poorly and loudly) to Christian music and not paying attention to how she was driving, thus running them over as they were loading their car. This incident means Ivy believes in God, and he thinks the Almighty is a jerk.
After his parents died, Ivy went to live with Aunt Rad (Lea DeLaria), who believes in a good time, not a higher power. This is furthered after Uncle Bill is struck by lightning and killed, and Rad gets cancer. Ivy’s best friend, Surge (Tyler Graham), is a gay anarchist ostracized by their conservative small town. So, Ivy is as far removed from faith as one can be without practicing a different religion altogether. Now attending community college, Ivy (Ian Gregg) works as a server at what appears to be the only restaurant in town.
“…in order to be closer to Sadie, Ivy fakes believing in the Christian God…”
One night, while serving Pastor Haggass (George Deavours) and his family, Ivy meets Sadie (Leah Merritt) and is instantly smitten. The next day, a meet-cute at the college library cements their chemistry and attraction to each other. But there’s a sizeable snag: Sadie is the daughter of the new pastor in town, Owen (Nick Sholley). So, in order to be closer to Sadie, Ivy fakes believing in the Christian God and starts attending church. Will the messages of the Bible find their way into Ivy’s heart? Will Ivy find a way to go on a proper date with Sadie? Will Sadie find out about Ivy’s deceptions? Will Surge land his big scoop on the church and bring it down as he so desires? Will Aunt Rad beat the cancer and live to be snarky another day?
Holy Irresistible turns a bad sitcom plot into something sweet and delightful. Shearer’s script wisely views Christianity from all sides. Despite what the “Good Book” says, a lot of the community is uppity and mean toward anyone who doesn’t believe what they do. Mary Beth (Lily D. Moore) snottily puts down Ivy during his first church-going experience to be near Sadie. It would seem Ivy, Aunt Rad, and Surge were right in ignoring these folks if this is how they treat others. What would Jesus do indeed.
On the flip side, Sadie is a believer, but she’s all for LGBTQIA+ rights and other progressive ideas. This is, of course, one of the things that draws Ivy to her. Pastor Owen is a calm, level-headed man who knows that no one is perfect, nor can they be. He accepts people as they are, which does put him at odds with Pastor Haggass at times. Even Mary Beth and her cronies come to like and support Ivy in his time of need. This multi-faceted look at what Christianity means and how it has evolved over time gives this romantic comedy a lot of depth.
"…wisely views Christianity from all sides."
