Will Ferrell and Zach Galifinakis in....The Campaign

[terry78]

May try and check it out just because I haven't seen a good Ferrell comedy for a minute. They finally gave it an R rating after it being not rated since it started being advertised.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

The baby punching scene looks pretty funny... Not so sure about this movie yet, though. The dinner scenes remind me of the one in Talladega Nights.

 

[Hurm...]

^If it's like Talladega, the better. Love that movie.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

I agree, it's a hilarious movie.

 

[mclay18]

Will Ferrell's movies give me goosebumps... but not the good kind.

And The Campaign looks awful... Ferrell does his idiot-manchild impersonation again. I feel bad for Galifinakis... pair him up with someone funnier than Ferrell and we might have something.

 

[chaseter]

Yeah this looks old and stale. I'll wait for Anchorman 2.

 

[Tonymosello]

I'll be seeing this tomorrow night, I'll let everyone know what I thought about it. I can't wait

 

[Tonymosello]

Just got back. I thought it was very funny. Quite a few downright hysterical scenes. 4.5/5 for me. Ferrell and Galifianakis are great together, hope to see them in the future (a cameo in Anchorman 2 would be awesome)

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Looking forward to this film. Love, Galifinakis!

 

[Chrisbarnes182]

Just got back. I thought it was very funny. Quite a few downright hysterical scenes. 4.5/5 for me. Ferrell and Galifianakis are great together, hope to see them in the future (a cameo in Anchorman 2 would be awesome)

May have to check this out when I reaches us here.

 

[Shifty]

If you enjoyed any of the previous Adam McKay-Will Ferrell films then you should enjoy this. McKay doesn't direct but contributed with a story and producer credit but it feels like just the latest collaboration from the two.

Jay Roach returns to comedy after going political in HBO's Game Change and probably does his best comedic work since The Spy Who Shagged Me. Ferrell and Galifianakis were terrific. Ferrell spent a few season on SNL impersonating George W. Bush so he had the training for a character like this, the cocky politician. Galifianakis creates another 'out there' character that is still likable and that you want to see succeed even if he shouldn't be running.

The billionaire Motch Bros. (Koch Brothers big screen debut played by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) are looking to make billions and need a bill passed in Congress to make it happen. They're not "Job Creators" they're "Candidate Makers" and are looking for some stooge they can get elected and control and not get into a scandal.

Cam Brady (Ferrell), a Democrat, is running unopposed so they decide to funnel millions in a Super PAC and get Marty Huggins to be their puppet candidate. Their goal is to open factories in North Carolina with Chinese workers still making next to nothing in horrible working conditions so they can save on the shipping costs. Huggins is a bit of a weirdo who just loves his family, his two pugs and his small North Carolina town, where he works as a tour guide. He wants to prove to his dad and others in the town that he can actually be a winner. Brady, a potential VP nominee, gets into his first scandal. This allows for Huggins with the support of the Motch Bros. to actually have a chance at winning. Huggins has a shaky start but then he 'breaks bad' for a bit, doing well in debates and speeches and enjoys be the frontrunner even if it hurts his family for a few weeks.

Dylan McDermott plays Huggins' campaign manager hired by the Motch Bros. and outshines his rival campaign manager played by Jason Sudeikis. Like Talladega Nights, there are some children in this film who needed better parenting and have some good laughs. Sarah Baker is strong as Mitzi Huggins, a good pairing with Galifianakis. Katherine LaNasa as Rose Brady does the best she can with what she was given as Cam's trophy wife looking to be the Second Lady. There are a couple more cameos that squeeze out a few more laughs.

The Campaign follows the usual formula for election stories, except the fighting goes to the extreme - especially when billions are at stake. There are plenty of laughs in the first half and lots of alternate takes or deleted scenes have been used in selling the film. There could be 2 hours worth of material they didn't use. The film clocks in at 85 minutes but it feels like the right length (Anchorman was only 94 minutes). If there was more to tell it could've been longer but Roach knows when its time to wrap things up. It has some heart and shows the good, the bad and the ugly about American politics.

7.5/10, it doesn't surpass recent Ferrell films like Talladega Nights, Step Brothers or The Other Guys but it fits in well with them.

 

[terry78]

Probably hit it Saturday night or something, still need to see Bourne Legacy first.


http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120808/REVIEWS/120809986

Three stars per Ebert.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Wasn't going to see it, was on the fence - those reviews just sold it.

 

[Donnie Darko]

I saw one review that was bashing it for not being POLITICAL enough, like they tip-toe around the issues. That just makes me want to see it more. I honestly hate when movies try to force political issues or agendas, especially in comedies.

 

[terry78]

Yeah, they say that they keep the political party each of the guys represents ambiguous just enough so you have an idea, but then they do something completely opposite.

 

[Spideyfan93]

[YT]AZz24EvKfn4[/YT]

My video review, surprisingly enjoyed more than expected!

 

[Donnie Darko]

Yeah, they say that they keep the political party each of the guys represents ambiguous just enough so you have an idea, but then they do something completely opposite.

I think my favorite "political" movie is My Fellow Americans. It basically had Jack Lemmon and James Garner playing comedy versions of Bush and Clinton, but didn't really insult either party or push one side's agenda.

 

[Shifty]

I saw one review that was bashing it for not being POLITICAL enough, like they tip-toe around the issues. That just makes me want to see it more. I honestly hate when movies try to force political issues or agendas, especially in comedies.

It was more on how the Citizens United ruling is hurting America. None of the issues were mentioned, it was just all personal attacks.

 

[DorneyDave]

A few chuckles here and there. But absolutely a boring snooze-fest otherwise. I think Ferrell's comedic act is wearing thin, he needs to branch out more.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I really liked it. It was exactly what I was expecting and Zack surprised me, with a great performance that was funny and had some heart. Good, fun movie.

 

[nightwing06]

Take all of the sexual scandals,double talk campaign promises,and foot in the mouth gaffes that have come from the Democrat and
Republican parties over the years,add a big sense of humor then multiply it by a hundred and you get the hilarious The Campaign.
Will Ferrell as the over sexed ,buffoon Democratic Congressman Cam Brady and Zack Galifianakis as the love me daddy, man child
Republican running for the Congressman's seat are equally good.
This is probably one of the raunchiest and funniest political farces i have ever seen.The film expertly pokes fun at the political process,the easily swayed
i believe it because someone said it on T.V voters,and the mudslinging.
The stars of the film are wonderfully supported by their cast members Jason Sudeikis,Brian Cox John Lithgow,Dan Aykroyd ,Katherine LaNasa and Sarah Baker.
The film begins to run out of steam in its last twenty minutes,but the laughs it provides before that are well worth the ticket price.
Scale of 1-10 an 8½

 

[terry78]

I liked how they managed to get Lithgow, Akroyd and Cox for roles in this thing.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Lithgow, Akrod, and Cox reminded me of the Illuminati.

This movie was way more hilarious than I thought it would be. One of my favorite lines was, "Marty, I need you kicking Cam's balls in on a daily basis! And I come in here and find you... playing Hee-Haw with the ****-around gang!"

 

[marvelman2006]

I watched this on demand last night and I have not be this disappointed in a movie in quite some time. I laughed twice in a hour and a half movie, the rest of the time I found myself looking at my phone waiting for the laughs to come. I just cant laugh at ferrell screaming out random things 8 times in a row over and over. Sudekis was so tame in this movie that you could have got anyone to play that role and ferrell was bordering on his bush impression a couple times. 4/10 for 2 scenes alone.

 

[Matt]

Really? I thought that Dylan McDermott's character alone made the movie entirely worth watching.