The Campaign - Review

Here we have a case of why you shouldn't pay for something when you can get it for free, i.e. the television vs. film debate. The main mission of THE CAMPAIGN is to lampoon while calling attention to the wheelings and dealings of the Koch Brothers, here dubbed the Motch Brothers and played by two overqualified comedians. The problem is that Aaron Sorkin is already making a better case against those bozos on his HBO television show The Newsroom. That show is highly flawed and ungainly problematic but it has its moments of grandeur. THE CAMPAIGN, however, is largely unfunny, brimming with travesty and wasted opportunities.


The majority of my laughs were in the first five minutes, then I came down with a serious case of stupefaction, brought on by utter boredom and crude immaturity. There is a few pops as the battle between two political candidates gets more heated but they are often overwhelmed by the pool of malaise all around them. This film is headed by Jay Roach, a popular comedy director who has won acclaim and an Emmy for his political TV movies, and written by several people associated with Eastbound and Down. These talented men were unable to craft a raunchy satire, so they instead use the leftover scraps from the SNL writer's room, complete with television-like direction and delayed comedic timing.


So, let's go over the plot and pinpoint all of the problems: Will Ferrell plays Cam Brady, North Carolina's 14th District four-term Democratic congressman, who is just Ferrell's signature impression of George Bush but made more abrasive, if that is even possible. He supposedly suffers from a recent sex scandal with a trampy gladhand, losing some of his precious points and numbers, but since he has no opposition for his job, he doesn't have to worry. The Motch Brothers (sadly played by Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) do not like this sin of the flesh and want to put a patsy they can command and control into Brady's position, choosing Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), a cooky tourism director of a small town and the son of a big Republican associate. Remember, they pour their money and build a campaign for some loser when they could have just bought off/sponsor the morally corrupt Brady, a man who has been unopposed for eight years running. Also, considering how loony, gullible and idiotic North Carolina residents are represented here, he could gone on forever.


The Motch Brothers are the true evil of this picture, the ones who must be punished and given a diatribe against at the finale, yet they only appear in six scenes. Their continuing presence is supposed to be transplanted into the allusive Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott), Huggin's specially hired campaign manager, but he is more of a motivational goof than a serious threat. That leaves Cam Brady to be the major antagonist and it should be. His character is a disgusting man-child who thinks with his loins first and willing to do anything to humiliate someone. However, whether through a re-write, studio intervention, or simply a dumb idea in the first place, the viewer is intended to root for him as well as Huggins. This is seen easily when he recalls when he first wanted to go into office or when he has a moral debate when he hears what his own son is doing. Really, Mr. Roach? You want me to cooperate and cheer on a bully who sees women as an object to be used and abused?


I may have earlier somewhat praised Sorkin's current television show but the thing that this film easily shares with that masterpiece of mediocrity is the negative portrayals of women. Now look, I don't go into every single work of film expecting female characters to be 100 percent perfect and equal or else I boo, hiss, and give it an one star. Even I sometimes hate being trapped into writing yet another spiel, as if I'm trying to make a Linda Williams essay. Nonetheless, there is a scene featured at the end of the second act that blew past the glory-hounds, the gold-diggers, and the walking tramps to be crowned the most sexist moment. What happens is that Brady gets sick and tired of being humiliated, despite it largely coming from his own behavior. He not only chooses to make an ultimate jab back at Marty but he films it, turns into an campaign ad, and leaks it online. This utter distaste comes when he premieres it at his office, in front of several female aides who are completely shell-shocked. These women have mouths yet do not scream; They instead are directed by the script to take this exploitation in and do nothing about it, not even send in their resignations.


All of these faults lay on the director and the writers. I have no qualms with any of the actors, including Ferrell. They are trying to make this awful material work, with only Dylan McDermott as one of the very few able to rise beyond it. I do have massive amounts of anger for the extras and special cameos, however. Their theatricality is extremely taxing, as they either wholeheartedly fake laugh or shout out every dumb punchline with the biggest shit-eating grin on their dumb faces. Every time one of these people appears and talks, especially the cable talking heads, they obliterate the fourth wall and take the fun out of anything that can be remotely called a satire.


To use Marty Huggins' political tagline, THE CAMPAIGN is a mess, a movie that plainly sucks. Since I want to end this review positively, I will focus on Karen Maruyama. Without spoiling her character, it is safely to be said that this actress is the best thing going for this film. She is very limitedly used, which helps make her lines that more hilarious and effective. Hell, she is technically the hero of the story, since she in fact has the last scene and the last laugh. If there is somehow a sequel to this abomination, which is highly unlikely, I do hope her role is expanded.



FINAL REVIEW: 1 / 5