‘The Campaign’ Review: Rocking the Voting Public

I have to start out by saying that I am not a fan of politics. While I’m well aware that it’s my civic responsibility and that the people who are voted into office directly impact my life, I still can’t muster the strength to care. I’m not the kind of person who enjoys fierce political debates – I’d much rather talk movies for hours on end. The beliefs that I hold are not always backed up by facts and figures, it’s just how I feel. That being said, I was not immediately drawn to The Campaign as a good choice for a movie. While it looked funny in the trailers, the fact that it deals with politics when we’re so close to the election was a serious strike against it. Will Ferrell is another reason not to pay the money for the ticket. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of many of his movies (Anchorman, Old School, Blades of Glory, Talladega Nights…) but lately his comedy has gotten a little old. I sort of stopped watching anything with Ferrell in it after Step Brothers turned out to be terrible. But when my sister wanted to go see The Campaign, I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to visit my favorite place in the world. So with the ticket in my hand and almost zero expectations that this would be a good and original movie, I settled down to watch two great comedians (hopefully) work some magic.

Congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) has an election coming up. He’s been running unopposed, merely signing his name on the ballot is enough to get him into office. But after his sexual messages to his mistress become public knowledge, people are scrambling to replace him. Enter in Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the weird second son of a political powerhouse who will be loyal to the big corporations who can help his small town home. When these two start to campaign for the win, it gets very dirty. Will the slightly feminine tour guide Huggins be able to score enough favor to take down the ridiculously idiotic Brady… (click the link above to read the rest of the review)