"The Campaign" Review

On New Year's night, I finally caught the latest from Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis: The Campaign, a political farce that attempts to take a stab at the guys on Capitol Hill. The movie follows fictional North Carolina congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) as he prepares to run for another term in office. But in an attempt to gain more power over their district, two greedy CEOs (Dan Akroyd, John Lithgow) select inexperienced candidate Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) to run against Brady.

The Campaign is rude, crude, and as socially unacceptable as we've come to expect from Will Ferrell, but it's not nearly as funny or as edgy as it could have & should have been with Ferrell and Galifianakis running the show. With a trim eighty-five minute run time, the stars have little time to truly flex their comedic muscles. Getting an even shorter end of the stick are Dan Akroyd and John Lithgow as the two dastardly CEOs, as well as Brady's campaign manager Mitch (SNL's Jason Sudeikis). Those are three actors with tremendous comedic talent, and none of them made me laugh in The Campaign. Sure, the film has enough gags here and there to keep things moving, but I was sorely disappointed in the lack of room for Akroyd, Lithgow, and Sudeikis to shine.

In addition to the lack of jokes on their part, the subplot including the Motch Brother CEOs (Akroyd, Lithgow) is lost completely, save for the beginning when their characters are introduced and the end when they await the election results. I hardly even remembered they were a part of the story. Forgettable outings from both actors, which is a testament to poor writing rather than their lack of ability. We all know how riotously funny Lithgow and Akroyd can be (See 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters, classic SNL skits, etc).
Overall The Campaign is a disappointing picture that squanders its incredibly talented cast, despite one or two chuckles here and there from the two leading men. I'm so glad I didn't waste cash on this in the theater. Rent if you must see it.

1.5 of 4 STARS