When
I see Will Ferrell's name attached to an R-rated comedy, I truly get excited. I mean, come on, the man is hilarious, and
allowing him to run amuck and say pretty much anything only raises my already
high expectations. So, needless to
say, The Campaign, which co-stars
funny man Zach Galifianakis, had me pretty stoked. And while Ferrell did deliver on some laugh-induced segments,
I must admit that the film is nothing better than average.
If
you know anything about politics, the storyline is easy to follow. In order to
gain influence over their North Carolina district and boast profits from their
overseas manufacturing plants, two extremely rich CEOs seize an opportunity to
oust long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) by personally financing a
rival candidate who they can control. Their man: naive Marty Huggins (Zach
Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center.
While
the film does offer up some classic, funny Will Ferrell, the true highlight
comes from Zach Galifianakis, who stirs up many laughs with his somewhat
familiar portrayal. Galifianakis bases Huggins on a pre-existing character of
his own, that of the actor's socially awkward "twin brother," Seth,
who wears a fanny pack and freezes up on camera. The character works brilliantly
opposite Farrell's Cam Brady, and together the two create a funny and
unrelenting look at dirty (and heavily exaggerated) politics.
What
surprised me most in the film was to see the face of Dylan McDermott, who
played the role of a dark, edgy campaign manager hell bent on making people
"not suck". His supporting turn,
along with that of Jason Sudeikis, gives the film a well rounded feeling as
witty and unexpected situations rise out of all four's actions.
If
you're current on your politics, you will likely find The Campaign a bit more amusing than otherwise. Director Jay Roach has political satire
thrown around every which way; some of which is ironically hilarious. Overall though, the film is merely okay
as it offers nothing mind blowingly funny or unique, or even less so original.
