The Campaign (2012)

nTitle: The Campaign (2012)

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nDirector: Jay Roach

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nCast: Will Farrell, Zack Galifianakis, Dan Aykroyd, JohnnLithgow, Dylan McDermott, Brian Cox

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nAre you a Republican or a Democrat? Do you believe in a formnof government that works for its people? Do you hate the savage way in whichnpolitical parties throw dirt at each other all over the media? These are the questions you gotta keep in mind when watching The Campaign. I live on the island of Puerto Rico, and boy, political partiesnhere tear each other apart in the media, election time in my country is not notnthat different from what we portrayed in this new Will Ferrell/Zack Galifianakis/JaynRoach comedy ‘The Campaign’. This film is a sincere and savage satire at thenway the political game is played and how dirty it can get. It’s the kind ofnfilm that politicians don’t want you to watch because it exposes them for whatnthey truly are: showmen looking to sell you an empty spectacle.

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nFerrell plays the well oiled politician known as Cam Brady.nHe’s obviously The Republican candidate who’s the ‘All American Man’ he goes tonchurch, he believes in his country and in supporting this nations troops, he’sna family man with a beautiful wife, and two kids! He also has a mistress on thenside, and one night, when he decides to call her up and get kinky with her, he mistakenlynends up calling a Christian’s family’s home and leaves them a particularlynnasty sexually charged message on their answering machine. This embarrassingnturn of events causes a new candidate to move forward in the political race, hisnname is ‘Marty Huggins’ played by Zack Galifianakis. Huggins is a leader of thenpeople, a person truly interested in doing something for his town. He tells thenpeople to bring their brooms with him to Washingtonnbecause, “It’s a mess!” Who will win this battle; the evil , selfish politiciannor the one who cares for the interests of the people? 

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nIn my opinion, all the greatest comedies succeed because ofnthe cast. Special effects movies, action movies, they can get away with having mediocrenactors because there’s the action, and there are the effects to keep youninterested. But in a comedy you can’t risk having bad actors. You have to getntruly funny people in there or your reason for being is dead. In order to makenyour audience laugh, you need good comedians. Ghostbusters (1984), The BluesnBrothers (1980), Coming to American(1988), Young Frankenstein (1974), all these super comedies worked because thencast is freaking amazing. Of course, great comedy directors where behind themnas well, and it’s the combination of these two elements that make a great comedy.nI think this was the case with The Campaign, a film made by some truly funnynpeople and a trusted comedy director: Jay Roach.  

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nFerrell, when he’s good he’s good and on this film he isntruly on. I mean the guy is dead funny. I always enjoyed Will Ferrell’s take onnpresident George W. Bush, he was so dead on with his Saturday Night Livensketches; it was always truly funny stuff in my book. The Campaign takes all thosensatirical sketches that Ferrell did on Saturday Night Live and takes them up tona hundred. Zack Galifianakis, I’m so glad he is on this one playing off of Will Ferrell’s character, they are perfect for each other because they are both comedians that are very extreme, they’ll go the lengths necessary to make us laugh, so this two explosively funny comedians on the screen is a match made in heaven as far as I’m concerned, I hope this film serves to push Galifianakis’s career even further. There’s no mercy for politicians on this movie! I loved that aboutnit, because come one, let’s face it, these political campaigns can get viciousnand it’s that viciousness that works like magic on this movie. As it is in thenreal world, these guys really have no mercy for each other. And for those ofnyou who think this film is only for liberals, well, I’m here to tell you that you’renwrong because both parties are made fun off, but its primordially the richnrepublicans who get the heat. In this films eyes, Big Money and the politiciansnwho play their evil game are the true villain. In The Campaign big business onlyncares about financially backing up a politician that they can easily manipulate.nSadly, same as in the real world, there are always politicians more thennwilling to play along.  Thesenmillionaires with huge businesses are the ones who could turn this world aroundnbecause they have the money to do it, but instead they choose child slavery asnan option. They choose to buy the elections, play dirty, keep slavery going innthe world, only now they call it ‘less than minimum wage’. So these are thenguys that The Campaign aims its guns at, which is actually perfectly alright bynme. I think the film has every right to say that Washington is “a mess!”

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nJay Roach is a director who has made many a fine comedy, innmy book all three of the Austin Powers movies rocked; these are the kinds ofncomedies I like to watch over and over again. Meet the Parents (2000) and Meetnthe Fockers (2004), both hilarious in my book. It’s safe to say that Jay Roach hasnturned into one of those great comedy directors; it seems like Roach will be a mainstaynin Hollywood;nhis comedies are hugely successful most of the time. Ultimately, what I lovednmost about the film is how it comments on the fakeness of politics, on how itnmanipulates the masses to think a certain way. The political game portrayed onnthis film and the one we see in real life are both one big circus attraction,none big show that tries to attract as many zombies as it can with its brightncolorful lights, loud music and it’s confetti. They are simply trying to sellnyou a product that you will ultimately be disappointed by. Wouldn’t it be greatnif for once they would try to sell us a politician that wouldn’t disappoint?  One that would be worth a damn? The Campaignnis well worth the watch, funny every step of the way and unafraid to sshownthings the way they are, it gets a couple of extra points simply for that in mynbook!

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nRating: 4 out of 5 

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