'The Campaign' Review

The Campaign would be funnier had the best scenes not been showcased and spoiled in the trailers. Once again, the funniest lines have been given away in advance, making it unnecessary to actually see the film/pay for a ticket. Add in the fact that this is neither Will Ferrell nor Zach Galifianakis stretching far from what we've seen before and The Campaign won't be getting my vote for one of the top 10 comedies of 2012.

Will Ferrell was funnier doing George Bush on SNL and Galifianakis needs to move away from the schleppy/quirky little 'man-child who repels friends' roles. We've seen this done before and done better by these two.

Cam Brady (Ferrell) is used to having things his way. He's an incumbent Congressman from North Carolina who expects an easy ride to another win as he's running unopposed - as usual. Cam has gone through his years in Congress spending more time in intimate situations with women other than his wife than he has in actually performing his job and voting on bills. However, good times in office may be coming to an end as a last minute opponent emerges.

When Cam loses the potential backing of billionaire lobbyists (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) who want to outsource jobs, they throw their considerable weight behind the sweet as sugar Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), a simple man who is the polar opposite of most politicians. Marty loves his family and his town, and by agreeing to run he thinks he'll finally be pleasing his father for the first time in his life.

So, Cam gets an opponent, Marty gets a taste of life in the fast lane, and both wind up learning what it's like to walk in each other's shoes.

The supporting players have it better than the stars, with Dylan McDermott as Marty's campaign manager and Jason Sudeikis as Cam's manager/babysitter pretty much stealing this film from Galifianakis and Ferrell. But even their performances aren't enough to compel us to support this Campaign.

The script takes the film into much darker territory than was needed and/or necessary. And every joke that comes at the expense of politicians, America's political system, and lobbyists seems as though it's been lifted out of SNL skits. In fact, The Campaign actually plays out like multiple SNL skits pieced together.

Just shy of 90 minutes, The Campaign feels as though it's been padded out to even make it to that super-short running time. In this race between Cam Brady and Marty Huggins, I'm going off the ballot and writing in votes for Step Brothers and The Hangover (the first one, not the second) on DVD.

GRADE: C+

The Campaign was directed by Jay Roach and is rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity.

Theatrical Release: August 10, 2012