The Campaign (2012)

Add The Campaign to the list of laugh-out-loud Will Ferrell (Old School, The Other Guys) movies. For as many misses as Will Ferrell has (like Case de mi padre, Land of the Lost, and Semi-Pro), he strikes gold just as often. He’s not the draw that he was at the height of his career (between 2003-2005), but he still can make me laugh as well as any other actor out there. At the same time, he plays roughly the same type of character in most of his movies. It doesn’t make him any less funny. He has gone overboard in some of his films (Blades of Glory, Anchorman), but when he lets the script come to him, he’s a lot of fun to watch on the screen.

Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers franchise) directs this comedy gem. The story in itself is straightforward. Cam Brady (Ferrell) is a congressman from North Carolina who has won the previous four elections he has been in. But when he thinks he leaves an inappropriate message on an answering machine of a woman he is having an affair with, he learns that a very conservative family heard the news. The message gets released to the public, and Brady’s political career is in flux. Enter Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover, Due Date), the director of a local tourism center and pushover son of a wealthy businessman. Huggins becomes the perfect candidate for the wealthy Motch brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Akroyd). Glen (Lithgow) and Wade (Akroyd) see Huggins as a man they can easily push around once he is in office. The Motch’s have no problem fronting the money for Marty’s campaign. They believe they can use Marty as their puppet once he is in office to their advantage.

The heart of the movie is not the issues of the campaign but the two actual campaigns themselves. Cam is cut-throat and seemingly will stop at nothing in his quest to get into office. Marty is kind, innocent, and too easily influenced. After some initial gaffes that get him buried in the polls, the Motch’s hire Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott – Hamburger Hill, Olympus Has Fallen), a cunning campaign manager whose job is to toughen Marty up will still making him seem like a viable candidate. Not to be outdone, Cam has his campaign manager (Jason Sudeikis – Horrible Bosses, Hall Pass.) who isn’t afraid to throw punches. The result is some constant chuckles and some laugh-out-loud moments. Ferrell and Galifianakis are perfectly cast in their roles. Of course, everyone who watches Saturday Night Live knows that Sudeikis is funny, but McDermott more than held his own with these three comedians.

This is a must-see for any Will Ferrell fan. I’d still consider it a watch if you aren’t necessarily a Ferrell fan. If you can’t stand Ferrell, you might want to avoid it. The Campaign was the funniest movie released in 2012.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 9/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 8/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
89%

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Step Brothers
Horrible Bosses
The Other Guys
Old School
The Internship

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