Directed by Jay Roach
Starring Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Jason Sudeikis
Rated R (strong language, crude/sexual content, comic violence, drug/alcohol use)
So…The election is over now. We’ve all
been hyped up or, conversely, discouraged by all the politicking, but “The
Campaign” is as good a movie as any to watch and enjoy this post-election
rampage with a good satire.
The film follows Cam Brady (Ferrell) and
Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) as they engage in a state senate race that
escalates into ridiculous gags and satirical nonsense like only Ferrell can
give. It’s a movie for fans of these two comedy giants, so if you dislike the
metrosexual man-child thing Galifianakis is famous for or don’t like the macho
ignorance of Ferrell, then you should steer clear.
This movie is all about the outrageousness
of American politics, especially when it comes down to debates and political
ads, which have become a farce for most people in this day and age. Or at least
it should. The ads featured in this film, in which the candidates take
increasing levels of one-upsmanship to cartoonish heights, seem to be too
unbelievable to be effective. Then you realize how blatantly misleading and
spiteful real ads are. This movie is probably funnier now that it’s been
released so close to the election, and we have all gotten tired of the machine.
That’s not to say the satire is perfect.
It delves into gross-out humor, occasionally skirting the horrible territory
that “Step brothers” delved into with its idiotic “gross-out first, be witty
later” style of guttural comedy. Yet the film keeps a heart and focus firmly on
the characters and their journey, however mocking it is, and that allows for
some heartfelt moments peppered in. Not all the gags work, of course, but the majority
does. Even though I think Galiafanakis is a tad overrated, his character of
Marty Huggins is a down-home family man whose just trying to do something
right, even though he’s oblivious to the stereotypically evil businessmen
manipulating him (played hilariously by Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow). Ferrell
is obviously a full-of-himself congressman who’s never been opposed and has
everything he could ever want, but his family clearly hates him. Their entire
personas are jokes, and funny ones at that.
It is a bit of an anomaly, though, in that
it isn’t a movie with any jokes that stick with you for a while. Most people
can name a quote from Old School or Anchorman or Talladega Nights, and while
The Campaign is vastly more superior than Step Brothers or Semi-Pro, it’s a
small step back from Ferrell’s “The Other Guys.” I’d probably say “Casa De Mi
Padre” is as good and as funny as this film, albeit in a much more understated,
Napoleon Dynamite kind of way. The Campaign is more that in-your-face loud
comedy.
In the end, it’s a very straightforward
farce that has a couple notable gags but isn’t breaking any new ground. I
enjoyed it, but I dunno that I’ll rewatch it like I do Anchorman or the Other
Guys. Galifianakis’ roles are starting to get stale and repetitive, so it’s a
good thing Ferrell’s delivery is still as strong as ever, even if the trope he
plays to is the same. But the question I have to ask is if I found it funny.
Yes, yes I did.
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