The Campaign

I often find that with Will Ferrell movies, there are two distinct categories: forgettable ones and absolute classics. Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Old School come to mind when I think of Will Ferrell classics. Semi-Pro and Bewitched plague my thoughts when I think of some of his huge misfires. 

So where does The Campaign land in his wide repertoire of films? 

Read on amigo, read on...

The Campaign stars Will Ferrell as Cam Brady, a Democrat from North Carolina who has run un-opposed for a seat in Congress for several terms now. Marty Huggins, played by Zach Galifianakis, is a simple North Carolina man who decides to run as a Republican against Cam Brady. Cam Brady is brash, egocentric, and crude. Think a mixture of Ricky Bobby and Ferrell's George W. Bush impersonation. Huggins seems borderline gay, features a hilarious lisp, and is not the smartest tool in the shed. Just take Alan from The Hangover, make him a God-fearing man, and add a speech impediment. If any of this sounds funny to you, that's because it is. The campaign trail in the film gets heated quickly and hilarious episodes play out throughout the entire film. 

Will Ferrell is known for going on random, yet hilarious rants.
When he gets bit by a snake in this scene, it is possibly the
funniest part of the movie. Very R-rated...

Completely wasted talent...

As expected, Ferrell and Galifianakis are both outstanding here, but if you didnt like their comedy style before, this movie wont do anything to change your mind. The supporting cast is also great, especially Jason Sudeikis and Dylan McDermott as the campaign managers. The latter has some of the best scenes in the movie when he randomly appears throughout the Huggins' home as "part of the family". However, I was absolutely shocked with the waste of John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd (pictured left). They are the "bad guys" in the terrible underlying plot that drives the second half of the movie and they dont say one comedic line, at least not to my memory. It's sad because they are such comedic pioneers that there could have been some funny scenes between them and Ferrell and Galifianakis. Totally missed opportunity. 

There is really no caption that fits this photo other
than a good chuckle

So back to the original question: is The Campaign a classic Will Ferrell movie or is it a dud? 

Truthfully? It is really really funny..but it is also extremely average. There are some scenes/dialogue/setups in the movie where I was laughing as hard as I have at any other Ferrell movie. But usually with a "classic" Ferrell movie I am laughing the entire time. Not so for The Campaign. There are some jokes that fall flat, some scenes that really have no purpose, and a story that I honestly didnt care too much about. I think that the creators of the film tried to interject too much political insight into the state of our nation's campaigning techniques rather than focusing purely on the comedy. Much to their credit, there are times where I was shocked to think to myself, "Wow some of these campaigning techniques probably are not far off..." but whenever I started to think that, I thought to myself that I would much rather be laughing again. 

"Is anyone going to ask how my hand is doing after punching the iron-like jaw of that baby?"

If you are a fan of Ferrell, Galifianakis, or both, I suggest you see The Campaign. It's not a one-liner-gold-mine like Step Brothers or Anchorman, but it is full of hilarious scenarios that I would honestly probably watch again. 21 Jump Street is still very high atop its pedestal for funniest movie of 2012, but I would say that The Campaign narrowly edges out Ted for a distant second place. It's funny, it has good characters, it says a few smart things about our nation, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. 

Now all we need is Obama and Romney to pull their campaign ads and replace them with Ferrell's and Galifianakis's. Whichever candidate does that gets my vote. 

Pros:

• Can be funny as hell at times. It is rare for jokes to fall flat and overall, the movie gets at least a good chortle every time it tries to make you laugh
• Cam Brady and Marty Huggins are great characters. I found myself loving both of them
• The campaign ads that each candidate runs are priceless. Especially Ferrell's sex-tape-themed one...you've been warned
• Actually has some smart political commentary behind all of the nonsense and jokes. Doesn't take sides of Republican or Democrat at all (which is surprising in super-left-wing-Hollywood) and instead attacks and mocks the state of how our nation's candidates campaign and what lengths they will go to

Cons:

• When the film isn't being smart or funny, it is horribly average
• Waste of John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd
• The subplot about something to do with "insourcing" and China is ridiculous and really feels stupid even in a Ferrell comedy
• Marty Huggins's lisp somewhat disappears about a third of the way into the movie. It made me sad because it was so damn funny :-(

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10