Culture

The Campaign pits Will Farrell against Zach Galifianakis in a vulgar, violent, and ferocious political satire that will leave Will Farrell fans laughing out loud for an one-and-a-half hours straight, and everyone else disgusted and disturbed.

Will Farrell is Cam Brady, the slimy, long-unopposed congressman of the 14th District of North Carolina. Leading into the upcoming election an obscene phone call to the wrong person sees his approval ratings drop drastically, and high-powered business owners the Mitch Brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Akroyd) rush in with a puppet candidate of their own, Marty Higgins (Galifianakis), to challenge him. Higgins is the naïve and effeminate director of the local tourism center, and is putty in the hands of the devious Mitch brothers and their brilliant campaign manager Tom Wattley (Dylan McDermott). The stage is set for two over-the-top smear campaigns, which are both hilarious and scarily realistic at the same time.

The Campaign brazenly humiliates real-life politicians through thinly veiled analogies. Though it never really makes a point or sends any relevant messages, it does, in its own warped way, put a spotlight on the current corporate interest-driven nature of politics.

The film is far funnier than Ferrell’s Talladega Nights but never reaches Old School or Anchorman levels. Ferrell is the same as always, and Galifianakis is actually very funny and does a great job developing the character of eccentric Marty Higgins. If you’ve seen either of these guys in a movie before, you’ll know what to expect from The Campaign. Keep your expectations around the level of The Hangover or Blades of Glory and you won’t be disappointed.

3 / 5 stars