Movie Review: The Campaign

When I first saw the trailer for The Campaign, I have to admit I was actually looking forward to it. What is not to like about what appeared to be an over the top goofball political satire, it is, after all, an election year. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis looked like they were a good team, both of them are certainly funny individuals. The problem is that I fmd hem to be a little to the inconsistent side, I was hoping this would be a moment that found both parties in the on position.



Now, I like comedy as much as the next guy, but I suspect that my tastes are changing. I have noticed on more than a few occasions that my comedic tastes are diverging from those of the mainstream. This is not in all cases, but it seems to be coming with more frequency. I guess you can see where this is going. I cannot say I much cared for The Campaign. I certainly had its moments of hilarity, but it seemed to be more content with going for the lowest common denominator than anything more worthwhile. When I comes to political comedies, this is no Man of the Year, Wag the Dog, or Bulworth.

I guess it should also be said that I am not the right guy to determine worth when it comes to politics. It is simply a field I am not well versed in, and in most cases do not really care to be. So, it is possibly that others may see more worth than I in this movie.

Will Ferrell stars as Cam Brady, a four term congressman who is about to seal his yfifth term just by signing the candidacy papers. It seems, the good Mr. Brady has been running unopposed. He has not had to campaign in I don't know how many elections, probably any of them. Well, this time around he is about to go toe to toe with a little oddball named Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis).

Now, the reason he has decided to run is not exactly altruistic. It appears that a big company, run by Dan Akroyd and John Lithgow, has lost some of their influence in Washington and need somebody new to help them get favorable legislation.

So, Huggins is charged with facing off with Cam Brady. Brady is forced to campaign, and things get ugly. Mudslinging is the name of the game. Marty tries to stay able it, but his campaign manager (Dylan McDermott) ensures that every card that can be played, no matter how low, is played. Cam, meanwhile, plays everything by his emotions as a par boy, getting into all manner of scrapes that his team (led by Jason Sudeikis) have to get him out of.

I was hoping this was gong to be a wild satire of the political process, and while that element is there, it seemed like they just wanted the two leads to make it up as they go along, a political version of Step Brothers.

On one hand, I guess ou could see this as a pretty accurate representation of the current state of politics. The problem is that, as a movie, it failed to engage me the way I had hoped. When I wanted it to take a mother stab at politics, it settled for a joke about anatomy or something of the like.

I laughed, just not as much as I think I should have. Judging by the rest of the audience, I am a terrible judge of the comedy in this movie. There was one guy in particular who was letting out hearty guffaws all the way through.

I just didn't get it. Oh well. I am sure many of you will enjoy it, just not me.

Not Recommended.