REVIEW: The Campaign

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The presidential election is still three months away, but a lot of people I know (from all colors of the political spectrum) are already tired of the mudslinging and the frenzied cries of “socialism” and “fascism.” Still, there are hardcore political junkies out there who eat that stuff up, as well as those who watch the ugly process like they’re passing a car wreck on the highway.

If you fall into those last two categories, you’ll probably enjoy The Campaign. The latest from Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis takes our already-cartoonish political process and transforms it into even more of an outlandish circus. Some might call it a bit unrealistic, but I say give it an election cycle or two.

The film (directed by Jay Roach, with a script from Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell) has Ferrell trading in George W. Bush for John Edwards. He plays Cam Brady, a Democratic congressman from North Carolina who keeps getting elected – despite high-profile sex scandals – because nobody will run against him.

His numbers are down, however, thanks to a raunchy phone call that went public. So when a couple of rich billionaires (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) want to elect someone to do their bidding, they turn to oddball Marty Huggins (Galifianakis). The guy might be weird (really, really weird), but nobody can say he doesn’t sincerely love his community.

Huggins jumps at the chance to run as Brady’s Republican opponent, but he’s not prepared for the onslaught of negativity and lifestyle changes the campaign brings. Before long, the candidates have sunk to various levels of degradation, including punching babies and flat-out gunfire.

Like I said, the film takes place in a heightened reality for comedic effect but it’s not hard to imagine this farce becoming the norm in a few years. Both candidates are wildly unfit for office, but when has that ever stopped anyone? Ferrell and Galifianakis are both good playing to their individual strengths – cocky incompetence and off-putting quirkiness, respectively.

Despite the lengths the two leads are willing to go for laughs, the movie’s real MVPs are Jason Sudeikis and Dylan McDermott as the candidates’ campaign managers. As Brady’s right-hand man Mitch, Sudeikis plays it mostly straight. But his deadpan reactions are brilliant as he watches his friend go from overconfident buffoon to flat-out psychopath.

McDermott is equally impressive (and shockingly hilarious) as Tim Wattley, a big-leaguer tasked with transforming Huggins into someone with a shot at winning. He’s cynical and cutthroat, but in a way that made me crack up even as I shook my head. The guy needs to do a lot more comedy.

The Campaign isn’t going to restore anyone’s faith in the political process – even with its completely tacked-on Capraesque ending – but it is good for quite a few laughs. Even if you’ve already had more than your fill of election season, it works as welcome relief from the 24-hour news cycle.

The Campaign is rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity.

Grade: B