Simply Irresistible

Right now you can watch Simply Irresistible in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 258 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for Sarah Michelle Gellar — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Simply Irresistible is worth clearing space for. Simply Irresistible does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. After her mother's death, mediocre chef Amanda Shelton is having trouble attracting customers to her family's restaurant. While shopping for ingredients, she is given a magical crab by mysterious Gene O'Reilly. Afterward, Amanda's dishes suddenly become excellent, inducing strong emotional reactions in everyone who eats them. Between them, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Patrick Flanery carry the comedy without ever forcing it. Simply Irresistible came out in 1999. What keeps Simply Irresistible from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Simply Irresistible is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Sarah Michelle Gellar is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.