The Campaign,
a vulgar political comedy, kept me laughing through the end credits. It never earned a deep, belly laugh,
but it generally did its job.
Will Ferrel
plays an incumbent congressman who doesn't actually do anything, but dos enjoy
being a congressman. When evil
billionaire industrialists (the Moch brothers) sense his weakness after a
scandal and create a controllable challenger in Zach Galifianakis, the fight's on as the
two men race to the bottom of taste, ethics, and self-respect in their battle for the seat.
This leads to
a variety of physical and verbal gags, delivered with gusto by our leads and
backed with strong performances from Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, and Brian Cox. It's sharp, bitter, yet ultimately hopeful
comedy that worked well enough.
Did I love The Campaign? No, but it's still a pretty good time at the movies.