When it comes to 'Murica-fueled satires, it can really only go one of two ways: 1) it's sharp, smart, laugh-out-loud funny and emotionally satisfying; 2) it's boring, dull, sometimes offensive and could have been cut down to a three-minute sketch. Unfortunately, Jay Roach's The Campaign bares resemblance to the latter.
The story is straightforward enough. When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is ousted for a political blunder shortly before an upcoming election, a couple of affluent CEOs (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) decide to seize the opportunity and set up a rival candidate, Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), to beat Brady and use the unwitting challenger in a plot to seize control of their North Carolina district. Huggins is initially considered a harmless nuisance, but he soon proves himself to be a formidable opponent with the help of his cutthroat campaign manager (Dylan McDermott). Wackiness ensues, etc., etc.
If you're familiar with the work of Ferrell and Galifianakis, you can pretty much pinpoint the inspiration behind each of their characters: Ferrell essentially riffs on his popular George Bush impersonation, while Galifianakis reprises his standup comedy character, Seth -- and as you might expect, neither of them have much feature-length appeal. Indeed, the term "one-dimensional" has never felt so applicable.
Not only have we seen these characters before, but they're the kind with no discernible redeeming qualities. Granted, Ferrell and Galifianakis are definitely committed to their parts, but the good, solid material just isn't there. It also doesn't help that most of the cast speaks with an unconvincing and often wavering southern accent. (Strangely, Jason Sukeikis seems to abandon his somewhere near the end of the second act.)
As for the comedy, it's more of a sprint than a marathon. While the first twenty minutes turn over a steady stream of laughs, the remaining hour and change delivers only slight variations of those same few jokes. A few of the bits land on-point, but most of them just fizzle out, resulting in crude, timeworn antics that we've seen more successfully employed in countless better comedies. It's kind of like watching a Funny or Die video in slow-motion.
The political lampooning here is equally witless and dull, serving up the same trite jabs you've seen on SNL for decades. The writing milks the leads' stupidity for all its worth, and then keeps going long after its dead -- and yes, in case you were wondering, there is a Dick Cheney hunting accident joke. In fact, by the end of the film, it's almost revolting how ignorantly it depicts the American public -- and that's really saying something. At a certain point, the film just stops being funny and starts getting preachy.
The saving grace among the cast is surprisingly McDermott, whose militant Tim Wattley character presents a refreshing counterbalance to Galifianakis and Ferrell's tired slapstick, especially near the end. His final sight gag offered the first laugh in what felt like a 45-minute block of misfires.
However, as with any romp like this, the entertainment value is subjective. My audience seemed to be fairly split between empty snickers and genuine cackles. It is worth mentioning, though, that the clips and trailers have pretty much shown you the highlights. Of course, if you're unacquainted with the once unique comedic stylings of Ferrell and Galifianakis, then I suppose there's a lot to take away here. But if you've had your fill on POTUS impressions and yokel counterpart routines, then I would definitely steer clear of The Campaign.
Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.
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