Rated
R (Crude Sexual Content, Language and Brief Nudity)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 25 Minutes
Cast-
Will
Ferrell-Camden 'Cam' Brady
Zach
Galifianakis-Martin 'Marty' Huggins
Jason
Sudeikis-Mitch
Dylan
McDermott-Tim Wattley
Brian
Cox-Raymond Huggins
John
Lithgow-Glenn Motch
Dan
Aykroyd-Wade Motch
Katherine
LaNasa-Rose Brady
Sarah
Baker-Mitzi Huggins
Karen
Maruyama-Mrs. Yao
Jack
McBrayer-Mr. Mendenhall
Piers
Morgan-As Himself
Bill
Maher-As Himself
Chris
Matthews-As Himself
Directed
by Jay Roach
 |
| Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) and Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) prepare to duke it out on the political arena in Jay Roach's "The Campaign." |
There
was such a sense of hope and optimism when Barack Obama was inaugurated three
years ago in 2009 and became not just the 44th President of the United States,
but the first African American to hold the office. This historic event was
watched by millions of people across the country and around the world (with the
exception of North Korea) but four years later, public opinion has eroded due
to the perception that Obama has not done enough to spur economic recovery. The
2012 presidential election won't take place until November 6th but Obama and
his Republican challenger Mitt Romney have been campaigning for the better part
of the year. Although our current administration is often hamstrung by partisan
politics, Romney strikes me as very arrogant and serves as proof that no matter
where you stand on the issues, the way the public perceives you is just as important.
This is explored in a highly exaggerated manner in director Jay Roach's R-rated
political comedy "The Campaign." Roach is known for helming the
"Austin Powers" trilogy and 2000's "Meet the Parents" along
with its 2004 sequel "Meet the Fockers" but has since turned his
attention toward politics with his two HBO films, 2008's "Recount" which
dramatizes the Bush v. Gore case that
resolved the dispute surrounding the 2000 presidential election and this year's
"Game Change" that focuses on John McCain's disastrous 2008 campaign after
selecting Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin (played by Julianne Moore) as his running
mate. Politics have always been mined for comedy and "The Campaign" accomplishes
this with aplomb by cleverly satirizing the mug-slinging tactics political
nominees frequently employ despite failing to break any new ground but the film
lacks edge due to its avoidance of any topics that might prove to be
controversial for audiences.
Camden 'Cam' Brady (Will Ferrell) is up for
re-election in the (fictional) 14th Congressional District of North Carolina
and victory is all but assured as he is running unopposed. However, Brady
commits a major political gaffe when a sexually explicit voice message intended
for his mistress leaks out to the public after he drunkenly dials a wrong
number. A pair of corrupt power brokers, Glen and Wade Motch (John Lithgow and Dan
Aykroyd), sees this as an opportunity to rig the election in their favor by
funding a candidate who will allow them to build factories in the district and insource the labor from China, thereby
saving on shipping costs! That candidate turns out to be Martin 'Marty' Huggins
(Zach Galifianakis), a clueless schmuck who runs a small tourism center. Eager
to improve the community and seek the approval of his wealthy father, Raymond
(Brian Cox), Huggins accepts the Motch Brothers' offer without question. This surprisingly
new development prompts Brady to immediately go on the attack by humiliating
Huggins during a civility brunch and reducing him to tears. The Motch Brothers
send in a tough-as-nails campaign manager named Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott)
to whip Huggins into shape. Brady and Huggins' political rivalry escalates as
each resort to ridiculous tactics to gain the upper hand as Election Day draws
near.
R-rated comedies have not enjoyed much success this summer with the
exception of Seth MacFarlane's "Ted" but "The Campaign"
ends up being a winner because much of what it pokes fun at is unfortunately
true. While their party affiliations are only vaguely defined, it's clear that
Cam Brady and Marty Huggins are two incompetent buffoons who are able to rile
up a crowd but ultimately stand for nothing. Hell, when Brady's campaign
manager Mitch (Jason Sudeikis) asks him about the meaning of his catchphrase, 'America,
Jesus, Freedom,' Brady readily admits that he does not know but remarks that
citizens love hearing those three words. Much of the film is made up of a
series of hilarious and increasingly over-the-top vignettes where each
candidate desperately tries to out-maneuver the other. The numerous campaign
ads are just one of the highlights as Brady tries to convince the public that
Huggins is a Muslim due to his bushy mustache while reinforcing his womanizing
image by pandering to male voters with images of attractive women. Fighting back
on the advice of Wattley, Huggins goes after Brady's neglected son, leading to
a crazy scene where Brady seduces Huggins' wife Mitzi (Sarah Baker) and releases the resulting sex tape as a
campaign ad! Roach also illustrates Brady's hypocrisy when he badly flubs the
Lord's Prayer at a political debate, with Huggins insinuating that he might be
a communist by referencing 'Rainbowland' (where everything is free!) from a
book he drew as a child, prompting Brady to repeatedly scream out that
'Rainbowland is not real!' While "The Campaign" goes after easy
targets like outsourcing (or insourcing
as the Motch Brothers call it) and avoids topics that may be too polarizing for
audiences, the film exposes an ugly truth about American politics where it
doesn't matter what a candidate stands for when he's little more than a
mouthpiece for his corporate sponsors. The script from writers Chris Henchy and
Shawn Harwell may resort to crass jokes at times like penis-licking goats and
masturbating to Drew Carey but it retains a sharp focus with its political
satire. The only real flaw is when the story gets in the way of the laughs near
the end as Roach clumsily funnels all the characters toward a typical Hollywood
happy ending.
Will Ferrell has always been hit-and-miss for me as a comedian but
as Cam Brady, he's a laugh-riot even though his performance plays it safe by borrowing
heavily from his George W. Bush routine during his time at "Saturday Night
Live," with a dash of Bill Clinton thrown in for good measure. With his
high-pitched voice, Zach Galifianakis also falls back onto familiarity as Marty
Huggins is only a slight variation of his 'twin brother' Seth Galifianakis.
This may be a two-man show but some of the supporting cast provide their share
of laughs as well, such as Dylan McDermott as a hard-line campaign manager that
gives Huggins a makeover while inserting himself into every part of his life to
the detriment of his family. Jason Sudeikis' Mitch is the straight man to Brady
and rounding out the cast is Katherine LaNasa as gold-digging Rose Brady, Brian
Cox as Raymond Huggins, who longs for the old days of the antebellum South (he
has his Asian maid talk in a stereotypical African American accent), and John
Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd as the corrupt Motch Brothers.
To be released on August
10, 2012, there have been relatively few reviews for "The Campaign" but
I have a feeling that it might garner a mixed reception as critics may find the
jokes too obvious. I saw the film at an advance screening held two weeks prior to its official release
and the audience clearly enjoyed it judging by all the laughter in the theater.
It won't top the box office due to competition from Tony Gilroy's "The
Bourne Legacy" and reigning champion "The Dark Knight Rises" so
it's ultimately a tossup between third and fourth place with "Hope
Springs" starring Meryl Streep. Although the comedy in "The
Campaign" may come off as too softball for those looking for an edgier
satire, Roach's film remains a hilariously clever take on our country's
wacked-out politics.
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
"You
tryin' to trash talk me? Your mama's like a vacuum cleaner…she sucks, she blows
and gets laid in the closet. That's
what nuts feel like!"
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