REVIEW: “The Campaign” fails to deliver real comedy

Every once and awhile, a movie is released that perfectly captures the attitudes of the times, and forces the audience to re-examine the socio-political culture in which they live. “The Campaign” is not that kind of movie.

But, that’s alright, because this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a modern comedy; complete with baby punching, dog punching, people punching, foul trash talking and plenty of low-grade political satire.

“The Campaign” is about two political rivals facing off in a no-holds barred, vicious congressional campaign for North Carolina’s 14th District. The first candidate is Cam Brady; portrayed by Will Ferrell. Brady is the democratic candidate running unopposed for his fifth term as congressman. After a serious campaign blunder, Brady is forced to fight for the control of his congressional seat against Republican Marty Huggins, played by Zach Galifianakis.   Huggins is a newcomer to politics, and he is totally oblivious to the fact that his campaign is a lie, as it’s campaign is funded by the evil, plutocrat, Motch brothers, played by Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow, who are using Huggins to promote their own agenda.

What is truly amazing about this movie is that Ferrell successfully pulls off playing the same character he has been playing for the past decade. You all know what I’m talking about: a brash, narcissistic, out-of-shape everyman who’s too dumb to know what he’s talking about. Sound familiar doesn’t it? Cam Brady is the same character as Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby and Chazz Michael Michaels. It’s a real shame. Ferrell is a very versatile, dramatic and comedic actor. He has so much more potential than filmmakers or his typical audience gives him credit for. It’s like his acting career is stuck in some sort of “Groundhog Day” scenario. He constantly has to relive the same character over and over again. One day, it just won’t be funny anymore.

What the film doesn’t quite deliver in comedy, it does make up for in political satire —  albeit at about an eighth-grade level. The satire is simplistic; you would either have to be a human vegetable or a diehard political partisan not to get it.

The movie’s theme satirizes the influence of corporate money. For example, the Motch brothers are just a representation of the Koch brothers, two successful businessmen who are currently involved in Mitt Romney’s campaign. The film skewers other real-life themes like voter fraud, pandering to the political base and the extreme partisan atmosphere of today’s politics.

What makes “The Campaign” truly worth the watch is a 10-second cameo appearance by John Goodman. He plays a corrupt congressman who has been accused of using federal funds to pay for his mistress’s breast implants. His appearance almost seems like a total afterthought, and why he doesn’t have more screen time is beyond me. Maybe he was just passing through the studio one day, and he decided to do a cameo just for the hell of it.

Besides Goodman, there is no real reason to see this movie. So, my advice to you is to just watch the real 2012 congressional campaigns. They are free, and much, much funnier — except all of the jokes are on us.