THE CAMPAIGN

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros

Funnymen Will Ferrell and Zach Galifinakis square off for the rights to a North Carolina congressional seat in the comedy THE CAMPAIGN.  

Ferrel is Cam Brady, the Democrat incumbent who squares off against Republican Marty Huggins, a small town tour guide played by Galifinakis, who has always envisioned himself running for office, but finally gets the call to serve when a major corporation decides to foot his campaign’s bill.  Although Marty is an idealist, his campaign is backed by two men who envision the congressional district as a perfect place to relocate a Chinese sweat shop.  

As with most campaigns, this congressional horse race turns ugly.

 

                                                        

 

Modern politics is a farce on its own, so making a movie about the insanity is ripe for the picking.  

Director Jay Roach, of AUSTIN POWERS and MEET THE PARENTS fame, hits home on a few issues, particularly an over-the-top Super PAC television spot, but more or less employs a broad sense of crude humor that nearly hits all the right notes.  

The political spoof rests on the broad and humorous shoulders of the talented and often odd Ferrell and Galifinakis, and these two comedic heavyweights don’t disappoint.  Ferrell’s facial expressions are nearly enough on their own, but his commitment and sincerity as the sexually infused and no-holds barred Brady make for a perfectly pompous politician.  As Ferrell is egotistical and arrogant, Galifinakis’s Huggins is equally humble and eccentric.  His dorky and socially awkward nature is effectively endearing thanks to the character actor’s willingness to sell Marty’s sweetness and naiveté.  

Co-writers Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell keep the jokes coming at a consistent pace, with many more hits than misses, and their only mistake is an over-reliance on absurd and profane statements coming from the most unlikely of sources.  

Roach keeps things all in order, allowing the humor to come from the performances and the writing, and by permitting Ferrell and Galifinakis the freedom to improvise, but not so much as to re-write the script.  

THE CAMPAIGN is a well-executed comedy, and one of the funniest of the year.

Grade: B