Film Review: "The Campaign" -- Cheap Shots Hit Too Close To Home

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Tuesday, 14 August 2012 19:31

Written by Marion DS Dreyfus

The Campaign
Directed by Jay Roach 
Starring Will Ferrel, Zach Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis 

“War has rules. Mud wrestling has rules. Politics has no rules.”
-- Presidential Candidate Ross Perot, 1988

This little laugh-fest could not have come at a better time. The Campaign is offered as a satire, with Will Ferrell as Cam Brady, the Dem blowhard with “strong” hair, and Zach Galifianakis as weirdo nudnik Marty Huggins, a tour guide in a city with three tourists who gets shanghaied into being Cam’s Republican opponent.

When you take that into consideration along with those wacked-out trailers plugging this com-dom (dumb comedy; dictionary MDSD, 2012 edition) you really shouldn’t expect Ingmar Bergman.

Director Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers, Recount, Game Change -- all films notable for their impeccable liberal mindsets) says that he thinks “comedy is the best response to politics these days.” Sure. Except that comedy is usually relief, while politics hangs around for four deadly years of unemployment, turmoil, bailouts, spills, unholy debt, and all-around craziness that does not go away after you guzzle your Slurpee.

But despite the fact that this raunchy (with periodic nudity and sewer verbiage; this is by no means a kid’s movie) comedy has you on a hilarity tripwire that goes off every few minutes, the two politicos and their wranglers (an excellent Dylan McDermott as a more feral and arguably more intelligent David Axelrod doppelganger; and SNL’s Jason Sudeikis as Cam Brady’s somewhat ineffectual wingman) are almost not satirical.

Our actual live political ads and theatrics, popping off daily, almost beggar the film. Galifianakis surprises in keeping in character as a mannered, dufus-sy bumpkin with decent instincts and all-American heart. Ferrell is lunatic throughout.

The town of 'Hammond, S. Carolina,' is used to great effect, as the well-meaning schmendrik Marty is dragooned into being a cardboard candidate by Machiavellian makhers played by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd—these two skullduggish types playing the Motch brothers, a less than subtle parody of the the real-life Koch Brothers. I found this satirization un-funny as the Koch Brothers are undoubtedly successful self-starters and risk-takers.

We are always aware that the dirty tricks and antics in this film are just a skootch over the line, while the mindset is firmly the same as that which informs so many productions, like the new TV series by veteran prize-winning but bilious Aaron Sorkin, Newsroom, gaggingly unwatchable, so nauseatingly and infuriatingly smugly partisan.

Also making solid appearances are Brian Cox, as the mogul Huggins father who can’t stand his prissy, disappointing simpleton of a son. Cox earns his many awards, and was recently named by the UK Film Council as one of the Top 10 powerful British actors in film today.

Sarah Baker is hilarious, as Mitzi, the sweet-as-pie Huggins wife who strays when tempted by the scheming Cam Brady. Katherine LaNasa, as Rose Brady, is a pic-perfect political-statuette candidate wife in camera range only as long as the money is around.

After back to back viewings of The Bourne Legacy, then The Dark Knight Rises, then yummy tummy Colin Farrell with evil but gorgeous Kate Beckinsale in Total Recall--it was a relief to laugh for a couple of hours, even if the underpinnings were not what will put this country to rights come another four months.

Funny that all the grown-up adventurous high-flying flicks have fewer naughty segments than the comedy does. The three barnburners are, pretty much, as chaste as pre-Code TV, while the giggler-howler has offensive language, considerable nudity, and bad taste everywhere your eyes land.

Ironically, funny as this "Campaign" is, it’s almost dull compared to what’s going on in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and the rest of the ‘swing’ set.

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