The Campaign Review
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The Campaign
Warner Brothers
R 85 min
I get the feeling that it's deja vu all over again. Last time didn't I review a fun action flick and a raunchy comedy? Well, here is a couple more. I didn't like THE BOURNE LEGACY quite as well as TOTAL RECALL bur THE CAMPAIGN was at least a step up from THE WATCH. Now don't get too excited, just the fact that it stars Will Ferrell tells you that it won't be a huge step up but...
Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy, he's just one of those stars whose celebrity puzzles me. He doesn't seem like a jerk, but he possesses neither the talent of a Dan Aykroyd nor the riveting charisma of a John Belushi. Then again American audiences seem to love him so what can I say? Here he's congressman Cam Brady a shoe in to win the North Carolina 14th district election unopposed. This guy is a crooked, platitude spewing, lecherous, lying skirt chasing scumbag with perfectly coiffed hair. (I wonder if Senator John Edwards was a technical advisor for this role.)
One evening he dials a wrong number and leaves a sexually explicit message meant for his mistress on the answering machine of a straight laced American Christian family.
All of a sudden he is a pariah; especially to the two billionaire brothers (Aykroyd and John Lithgow) who are financing is campaigns for their own evil purposes.
Mind you that this is over the top adult comedy from the beginning so let’s not take anything really seriously, okay?
For no apparent reason they decide the candidate to run against him is Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) the seemingly idiotic son of some other influential billionaire. That, however, is not nearly the most unbelievable portion of the film so far. Accepting the notion that Galifianakis is actually in a heterosexual marriage and has sired two children is tougher than buying Myron Cohen as the pope.
Basically this is a series of dirty jokes and left wing political commentary. I don't mind left wing political commentary and dirty jokes as long as it's funny. Oh it isn't great by any stretch of the imagination but there were at least a few spots where I laughed out loud and that, friends, is the bottom line is a comedy.
As I say Ferrell is blessed with meager talent but his tried and true persona seems to fit this roll well. I can't really think of anyone else that would have done a substantially better job with the material.
Barely OK I give it…
C+
(footnote I just found out Dan’s name is spelled Aykroyd.)
WSS
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