The Campaign

★★★

(2012)

Jay Roach turns his gross out comedy hand to the political campaign battle ground in the American south with this Will Ferrell vs Zach Galifianakis flick. Though the laughs are sporadic and mostly obvious they are present and the pair face off well, with Ferrell's primal hot headed style and Galifianakis's sweet fool schtick helping this rather average comedy balance itself out.

When the millionaire Motch brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) decide to use naive tour guide Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) as their political hand puppet in South Carolina, foul mouthed dufus congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) finds himself up against some competition for the fist time in his career. With only a few months to go until the election, the pair must get down and dirty with the media and each other to foil their opponents race to the polls. Along the way there are serious ups and downs, both in the film and for its characters.

Marty's father (Brian Cox) hates his son and makes his Asian maid speak like a southern slave, the likability of some key characters is fudged for the sake of some titillation, a baby is punched with spectacular CG assisted slow-motion and Bill Maher and Piers Morgan stick their faces on the box (probably for a few bucks). The strength of the satire isn't exactly Aaron Sorkin or Armando Iannucci but the fun leads have their own grasp on the ludicrous political Americana on show. The laughs are mostly in the gutter but The Campaign is an enjoyable watered down jibe at D.C and the red and blue races we all know so well.