Directed by: Jay Roach
Written by: Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell (based on a story by Henchy, Harwell, and Adam McKay)
In this day and age, and especially in the United States, there might be no grander comedy than the realm of politics. What's supposed to be an institution meant to serve the people and improve the well-being of the country's socioeconomic fabric has instead morphed into a corrupt, self-parodying carnival of saber-rattling and divisive manipulation of the voting public.
That's especially true right now, seeing how we're deeply entrenched in election season and how attack ads and political mudslinging are at a fever pitch. And as the last several presidential elections have proven, the saddening conventions of American politics have served for extremely easy satirical fodder. After all, politicians have largely proven to be, at their core, well-groomed cartoon characters, so director Jay Roach has a relatively easy time translating such archetypes into his broad yet surprisingly funny comedy The Campaign.
Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) has served as the Democratic congressman in the 14th District of North Carolina for four-terms, and is having quite the easy ride heading to the impending election, as he's expected to win since he has no challenger on the ballot. However, Cam has been plagued by a series of scandals involving his affair with a supporter of his, causing quite the public relations headache for Cam and his longtime campaign manager Mitch (Jason Sudeikis).
Meanwhile, corrupt businessmen and brotherly duo Wade Motch (Dan Aykroyd) and Glen Motch (John Lithgow) take advantage of the situation by attempting to back a Republican challenger whom they would manipulate into turning the picturesque North Carolina town of Hammond into a factory town that would grant the brother huge and rather illegal profits from a deal with Chinese manufacturing companies.
They find such a patsy in the form of Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the good-natured yet somewhat dimwitted son of the Motches' rich and politically influential associate Raymond Huggins (Brian Cox). Though Marty-- a devout Christian family man and the director of tourism for Hammond-- is clearly out of his league, he's enthusiastically decides to run against the far more experienced Cam when the Motches provide a campaign manager in the form of the ruthless Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott).
In the weeks leading up to the election, Cam ramps up the efforts to discredit the inexperienced Marty, who eventually catches up with the political process and serves as a formidable opponent to Cam as the increasingly vicious campaign barrels towards Election Day.
I was initially reluctant to see The Campaign for two reasons: the somewhat underwhelming trailer that seemed to be the ol' fashioned "cobble together all the funny parts" marketing strategy, and the fact that it was yet another broad comedy starring Will Ferrell. I've always appreciated Ferrell and his vast comedic talents, but nearly his entire filmography consisted of Ferrell acting out his now-signature hyperactive man-child persona in a movie whose plot would have worked better as a five-minute "Saturday Night Live" sketch instead of a stretched-out 90-minute misfire.
Of course, on the other hand, Ferrell is no stranger to political comedy, seeing as how he masterfully and famously spoofed former President George W. Bush during his time on "SNL". And considering that director Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) has had his own experience in covering the three-ring circus we call politics in the forms of the HBO dramas Recount and Game Change, I decided to give this offering a chance.
And surprise of all surprises, I was actually impressed with the final product. Now I wouldn't go as far as calling The Campaign a sharp political satire in the same vein as films like, say, Wag the Dog or Bulworth. The film isn't subtle by any means in its attempts at putting American politics under a humorous microscope. The gags and jabs are pretty straightforward in their execution, and the thinly veiled analogues of real-life politicians and figures are obvious from the start (Ferrell's Brady is essentially a pastiche of Sen. John Edwards and Ferrell's own Dubya impersonation, and the Motch brothers are a clear potshot at billionaire conservative business magnates, the Koch brothers).
But the film's major strength lies with the two leads. Despite playing yet another variation of his flamboyantly immature screen persona (albeit toned down at least one notch), Ferrell actually makes it work this time. In fact, it sometimes works beautifully in the context of the material, as the characters-- cartoonishly exaggerated as they may be-- are a rather accurate personification of the manipulative and manipulated men and women that we vote into office, whether it's the ridiculously volatile campaign ads or the "guilt by association" smear tactics now synonymous with election season.
And there couldn't be a better choice of opponent for Ferrell than the ingeniously funny Galifianakis, whose character's goofy and naive nature meshes beautifully with his pure-of-heart personality and integrity, giving us a great underdog to root for. The chemistry between the two men is brilliant, and their back-and-forth debates and slapstick interactions are an absolute hoot (you'd think that a baby being punched in the face wouldn't be appropriate comedic material, but they prove you wrong).
The rest of the cast is mostly servicable, including Baker as Marty's supportive wife, Sudeikis as Cam's level-headed manager and confidant, and McDermott as a hilariously aggressive and shady underling to Aykroyd and Lithgow's characters (despite the fact that the veteran actors are wasted in their excessively nefarious roles).
It's unfortunate (yet not entirely unexpected) that The Campaign does very little to shed new light on the sad state of politics, whether it's disingenuous campaign tactics, unscrupulous campaign financing by corporations, or the fact that a vast majority of politicians are merely puppets being led to pander to constituents while simultaneously betraying their own values and once well-intentioned political ambitions.
But at the same time, The Campaign can be forgiven for its faults when it's as consistently funny as it is. The sight gags and crude humor are by and large incredibly funny (I will never, ever tire of seeing a happy-go-lucky Galifianakis walking around in a giant mustache and ill-fitting turtleneck), and there's a large dimension of humanity in the lead characters, especially when the two converse about why the originally wanted to enter politics, giving Cam and Marty a surprising amount of depth and vulnerability.
Yes, it's over the top and decidedly raunchy. But in all honesty, so are politics. When you realize that outrageous moments in the film such as tweeting a picture of one's genitals, accusing opponents of Islamic extremism, or shooting somebody with a hunting rifle have actually been perpetrated by some of our own actual politicians, you can give The Campaign the benefit of the doubt.
Letter Grade: "B"
