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‘The Campaign’ sits on the fence too much to win in a landslide

By Roger Moore
MCT

Thursday, August 9, 2012

EPK.TV: Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”

We’re used to politicians talking out of both sides of their mouths. “The Campaign” is a political comedy that attempts that feat.

Movie review

3 (out of five stars)

Director: Jay Roach

Cast: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan, McDermott, Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow

Rated: R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

What did you think?: Offer your opinion.

  • Zach Galifianakis (left) as Marty Huggins and Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis (left) as Marty Huggins and Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell(left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell(left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.”
  • Director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.” Director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell (left) as Cam Brady and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Jason Sudeikis (left) as Mitch and Will FerrellL as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Jason Sudeikis (left) as Mitch and Will FerrellL as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Sarah Baker (from left) as Mitzi Huggins, Kay Haywood as Dylan Huggins, Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins and Grant Goodman as Clay Huggins in “The Campaign.” Sarah Baker (from left) as Mitzi Huggins, Kay Haywood as Dylan Huggins, Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins and Grant Goodman as Clay Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Katherine LaNasa (from left) as Rose Brady, Madison Wolfe as Jessica Brady and Randall Cunningham as Cam Jr. in “The Campaign.” Katherine LaNasa (from left) as Rose Brady, Madison Wolfe as Jessica Brady and Randall Cunningham as Cam Jr. in “The Campaign.”
  • John Lithgow (left) as Glenn Motch and Dan Aykroyd as Wade Motch in “The Campaign.” John Lithgow (left) as Glenn Motch and Dan Aykroyd as Wade Motch in “The Campaign.”
  • Jason Sudeikis(left) as Mitch and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Jason Sudeikis(left) as Mitch and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis (left) as Marty Huggins and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis (left) as Marty Huggins and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Jason Sudeikis(left) as Mitch and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Jason Sudeikis(left) as Mitch and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell(from left) as Cam Brady, Katherine LaNasa as Rose Brady, Madison Wolfe as Jessica Brady and Randall Cunningham as Cam Jr. in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell(from left) as Cam Brady, Katherine LaNasa as Rose Brady, Madison Wolfe as Jessica Brady and Randall Cunningham as Cam Jr. in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis(from left) as Marty Huggins, Jason Sudeikis as Mitch, Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis(from left) as Marty Huggins, Jason Sudeikis as Mitch, Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley and Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell as Cam Brady and Katherine LaNasa as Rose Brady in “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell as Cam Brady and Katherine LaNasa as Rose Brady in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Dan Aykroyd(from left) as Wade Motch, John Lithgow as Glenn Motch, Brian Cox as Raymond Huggins and Josh Lawson as Tripp in “The Campaign.” Dan Aykroyd(from left) as Wade Motch, John Lithgow as Glenn Motch, Brian Cox as Raymond Huggins and Josh Lawson as Tripp in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis (from left), A-camera/stedicam operator George Bianchini, writer Chris Henchy and director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis (from left), A-camera/stedicam operator George Bianchini, writer Chris Henchy and director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.”
  • Will Ferrell (left) and director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.” Will Ferrell (left) and director Jay Roach on the set of “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis (from left) as Marty Huggins, Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley and Sarah Baker as Mitzi Huggins in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis (from left) as Marty Huggins, Dylan McDermott as Tim Wattley and Sarah Baker as Mitzi Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Kya Haywood (from left) as Dylan Huggins, Grant Goodman as Clay Huggins, Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins and Sarah Baker as Mitzi Huggins in “The Campaign.” Kya Haywood (from left) as Dylan Huggins, Grant Goodman as Clay Huggins, Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins and Sarah Baker as Mitzi Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.” Jason Sudeikis as Mitch in “The Campaign.”
  • Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Dylan McDermott (left) as Tim Wattley and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Dylan McDermott (left) as Tim Wattley and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”
  • Karen Maruyama as Mrs. Yao and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.” Karen Maruyama as Mrs. Yao and Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins in “The Campaign.”

It’s a rude and crude farce that takes broad swipes at the political system and the people who manipulate it. It’s not subtle about attacking those alleged election-buying billionaires the Koch brothers (called the Motch brothers here). The campaigners themselves are basically puppets: one a crass, lazy Democrat given to giving in to his basest instincts, the other a startlingly ill-informed Republican whose idealism gives way to a cynical makeover to make him more presentable to the North Carolina voters he’s appealing to.

And the voters themselves are ranting, red-faced rubes who can’t stop fulminating long enough to realize that calling the other guy’s pug dogs “communists” is about the silliest thing ever.

But this R-rated comedy, directed by Jay Roach, tries to have it both ways. It straddles the “fair and balanced” fence, making the naive, effeminate Republican (Zach Galifianakis) an idealist backed by the evil Motch brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow, doing a “Trading Places”-evil-rich-siblings thing) and the Democrat (Will Ferrell) a boozy, womanizing cynic whose idealism evaporated in high school.

The worst thing about the Republican is his stupidity. Galifianakis makes Marty Huggins, a Hammond, N.C., tour guide who is nothing but a disappointment to his racist, vile dad (Brian Cox), likably daft. The film’s earliest comic shock is when we see that the plump, prancing Galifianakis’ Marty has an equally plump wife and kids.

Ferrell is ferociously, hilariously unlikable as Cam Brady, the four-term incumbent. Whatever his merits as a congressman, the very idea that he has to run for re-election, and against this idiotic sissy to boot, makes him nuts, leading to one gaffe after another.

Then these two would-be good ol’ boys get into the drawlin’ trash talk.

Marty, guided by a nasty political infighter (Dylan McDermott), has a killer campaign slogan to take him to Washington. “Bring your brooms,” he says of D.C. “Because it’s a MESS.”

Director Roach throws filthy-mouthed kids, sister-marrying “born again” Christians and wardrobe malfunctions at us. The campaign ads, tested on the candidates, are jaw-droppers, full of whoppers and “Jesus” bromides and porn. The candidates themselves are the biggest mess of all. Marty ineptly panders to the Jewish vote in a synagogue while Cam joins a black Baptist church choir.

But movies that step on that third rail of filmgoer appeal — politics — always pull their punches. Think of “Swing Vote,” which had a few stinging shots, but no spine, the last election cycle.

Here, the debates have a few chuckles. Challenge your opponent to recite “The Lord’s Prayer” and hope his campaign aide (Jason Sudeikis, in his one good scene) has to mime out the words from the back of the auditorium. Most of the laughs come from the shocks, which can be shocking. (Oh, no, he did NOT just punch a baby! That DUI did NOT just end with him stealing the cop’s car!)

Ferrell is in full “Anchor Man”-meets-”Ricky Bobby” mode here: loud, abrasive, big-haired and outrageous. And Galifianakis refines the mincing ditzes he’s made his shtick. But steering clear of anything that might turn off some potential ticket-buyers makes the film feel as focus-grouped and watered-down as the very campaigns it aims to spoof. A little about Chinese child-labor, a bit more about rich people running the works behind the scenes, owning voter-machine companies, are as edgy as it gets.

The one unadulterated, fall-on-the-floor running gag in Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell’s script is played to perfection by Karen Maruyama. She’s Mrs. Yao, the maid for Marty’s bigoted dad, forced to talk in a Stepin Fetchit sing-song straight out of “The Help” to remind the old man “of the good old days,” when Jesse Helms was a North Carolina icon and all was right with the South. Maruyama kills, so much so that they bring her back for an ill-considered bit in the finale.

By that time, Roach must have known that he needed the help.