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The Campaign poster

CAST
WILL FERRELL
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS
DAN AYKROYD
SARAH BAKER
BRIAN COX
KATHERINE LANASSA
JOHN LAWSON
JOHN LITHGOW
KAREN MARUYAMA
DYLAN McDERMOTT
JASON SUDEKIS

WRITTEN BY
SHAWN HARWELL
CHRIS HENCHY

PRODUCED BY
WILL FERRELL
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS
ADAM McCAY
JAY ROACH

DIRECTED BY
JAY ROACH

GENRE
COMEDY

RATED
AUS: MA
UK: 15
USA: R

RUNNING TIME
85 MIN

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MOVIE POSTERS
TRAILERS & CLIPS

THE CAMPAIGN (2012)

A political comedy with little bite in its satire and bias in its political stance, The Campaign is still kept in contention thanks to the over the top theatrics of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.

If there was a top ten list of subjects that have been lampooned in American comedy, politics and southerners would feature. The Campaign is not the first film to put the two together, yet it takes to both caricatures with gleeful abandon.

Will Ferrell is especially partial to lampooning southern folk. From his impersonation of George W. Bush to his portrayal of fictional NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, Ferrell has taken to southerners like potato and gravy to fried chicken. His latest southern man is Cam Brady, a Democrat senator uncontested in his district of North Carolina and a shoe in to win another turn despite having an appetite for adultery that makes Bill Clinton look like a monk.

A challenger arises in Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) the black sheep in a powerful Republican family who many describe as “a little weird.” Whereas Ferrell dives right into his part with all of the loud physicality expected of him, Galifianakis surprises – and outplays Ferrell – with a performance that is full of homily quasi-homosexual eccentricities, as if Ned Flanders of The Simpsons clashed with Harvey Fierstein (the gravel voiced openly gay actor of Independence Day fame).

As expected the two go back and forth with one outlandish scenario after another, and that is the whole point.  A film pitting Ferrell and Galifianakis should feature the type of balls to the walls low brow comedy that made them famous in the first place.

Yes as the to-and-fro becomes stale around the midway point so too does The Campaign lose its momentum, with the screenplay by frequent Ferrell collaborator Chris Henchy and Eastbound and Down writer Shawn Harwell offering the usual diatribes about American politics that will keep those with a healthy distaste for anything US of A related happy, yet everyone else ho-hum at the comedic carnage on the screen.

It’s not a surprise to find that The Campaign was directed by Jay Roach. After starting off strong with Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, Roach’s recent comedic offerings (Dinner for Schmucks) have been mediocre at best. Then there are his TV movies Recount and the recent Game Change (where Julianne Moore famously portrayed Sarah Palin), Republican bashing products greeted with open arms by the Hollywood community.

The Campaign is an unfortunate by product of Roach’s recent output and one sided politics. Had it not starred two gifted comedians giving their all, this would be a dead dog of a movie.

**1/2
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