The Campaign Review

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!"