The Campaign: NR #31

This is the kind of movie I usually avoid. Will Ferrell being a man-child is bad enough, but add Zack Galifianakis to the mix, and it's my version of hell. The trailers didn't do the best job selling the film, having only one or two funny jokes were worth only a chuckle. But, I still went in optimistic, leaning a bit towards no expectations. What did I think? Let's find out in my review of...

    Let's Begin

PLOT

Cam Brady is the 4-term congressman of North Carolina, the biggest and only reason he's elected every year is because he runs unopposed. Until now. 2 CEO's (who strangely resemble the two CEO's from "Trading Places") want to bring China's work ethic to America, but Brady won't play ball. But the naive, ambiguously gay Marty Huggins will, unknowingly will, at least. Now Brady has to actually work to win this election, and Huggins has to work even harder.

PROS

While this movie may not have the most consistent laughs, the jokes that work, really work. I laughed very hard at some jokes, which is definitely a step up from my expectations.

Dylan Mcdermott plays Huggin's sleazy campaign manager, and he's the best part of the whole movie. He literally comes out of no where and steals the show. Most of my laughs came from his jokes.

Say what you will about Ferrell and Galfianakis, but when they get a role, they dedicate to that role. There came a point when I forgot they were actors and thought they were their characters.

CONS

This is one of those comedies that wants to say something, this time it's about the campaign process and how it's run with money and not with honesty. That's a good message to put out there, the problem? They beat you over the head with it. Whether it's a throw away joke or a right in your face metaphor, this movie goes overboard reminding you of this message.

While I did say this movie had some very funny parts, it also has some very annoying, unfunny, or just plain embarrassing moments. I mostly chuckled or stayed quiet for a lot of the film.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I didn't hate this movie. Its got some funny parts that are worth seeing, and that joke about punching the baby, you see the whole thing at least three times, and it's actually funny in context. But I don't feel it's good enough to see in theaters. A lot of the jokes fall flat and there's nothing you need to rush out and see. It's a good movie that you'll have fun watching, but will forget most of the details in a matter of hours.

RATING

RENTABLE