The Campaign seems to be the underdog this weekend, the lesser of the two films coming out, with Bourne Legacy being the leading contender. However, I must say that The Campaign is quite worthy as it's one of the funnier films this year so far. Galifianakis and Ferrell are hilarious, with Zach truly shining in a role that goes somewhat against his usual. Both stars, however, let their comedic talents shine, as does who hasn't made a film this funny since Meet The Parents. It's a surprise hit, and contains both plenty of political lampooning and crude material to please even the least political of comedy watchers.
Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a slimy politician who has run unopposed as North Carolina's representative for five elections. However, when controversy strikes Cam's campaign and his popularity drops, the influential Motch Brothers (in a parody of the vilified Koch Brothers), with an agenda of their own, look for someone to run against Cam and find Galifianakis' Marty Huggins as their sucker. Thus begins a battle between the awkward Huggins and the smarmy Brady to win the election.
Ferrell does what he does best here and plays up his role to hysterics. There's plenty of outrageous behavior here and freaking out. If you're not a fan of Ferrell, then you probably won't like this role either, as it's much the same. Galifianakis is much the opposite, a bit of a straight man who comes off as somewhat socially inept and awkward, although his heart is certainly in the right place. The two bounce off each other wonderfully and the comedy is absolutely hilarious. They are surrounded by a fantastic comedic cast, including Brian Cox, John Lithgow, and Dan Akroyd, who are all very funny in their respective roles.
The acting is certainly great, but it would be nothing without a great script, and this is surprisingly good. It's not as high brow or biting as you might expect a political satire to be, but it makes no qualms about pointing fingers and laughing at the ridiculousness of many elements within politics. Most of the satire is pretty ridiculous, from a pornographic PAC ad to several confessions by Higgins family. But it's all very funny and reaches into the sentiments of how most American's view the political landscape right now. Thankfully, the trailers didn't reveal even the funniest parts of the film, and I have to admit I laughed consistently throughout.
Certainly, it's not a perfect comedy and doesn't take the place of my favorite comedy of the year so far (that would be 21 Jump Street). The middle begins to lose a little steam and the satire loses a bit of it's laugh out loud appeal. This is partly due to the fact that both Galifianakis and Ferrell don't entirely retain their ability to carry the comedy. But it's very minor, as they more often that not do carry the entire film and do a very good job of it. With a balance between crass, shocking humor and smart, yet simple, political satire, The Campaign accomplishes it's goal of being very funny.
Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a slimy politician who has run unopposed as North Carolina's representative for five elections. However, when controversy strikes Cam's campaign and his popularity drops, the influential Motch Brothers (in a parody of the vilified Koch Brothers), with an agenda of their own, look for someone to run against Cam and find Galifianakis' Marty Huggins as their sucker. Thus begins a battle between the awkward Huggins and the smarmy Brady to win the election.
Ferrell does what he does best here and plays up his role to hysterics. There's plenty of outrageous behavior here and freaking out. If you're not a fan of Ferrell, then you probably won't like this role either, as it's much the same. Galifianakis is much the opposite, a bit of a straight man who comes off as somewhat socially inept and awkward, although his heart is certainly in the right place. The two bounce off each other wonderfully and the comedy is absolutely hilarious. They are surrounded by a fantastic comedic cast, including Brian Cox, John Lithgow, and Dan Akroyd, who are all very funny in their respective roles.
The acting is certainly great, but it would be nothing without a great script, and this is surprisingly good. It's not as high brow or biting as you might expect a political satire to be, but it makes no qualms about pointing fingers and laughing at the ridiculousness of many elements within politics. Most of the satire is pretty ridiculous, from a pornographic PAC ad to several confessions by Higgins family. But it's all very funny and reaches into the sentiments of how most American's view the political landscape right now. Thankfully, the trailers didn't reveal even the funniest parts of the film, and I have to admit I laughed consistently throughout.
Certainly, it's not a perfect comedy and doesn't take the place of my favorite comedy of the year so far (that would be 21 Jump Street). The middle begins to lose a little steam and the satire loses a bit of it's laugh out loud appeal. This is partly due to the fact that both Galifianakis and Ferrell don't entirely retain their ability to carry the comedy. But it's very minor, as they more often that not do carry the entire film and do a very good job of it. With a balance between crass, shocking humor and smart, yet simple, political satire, The Campaign accomplishes it's goal of being very funny.