NEWS
EVENTS
The Campaign - review
Monday 1st October 2012 | Liam
A fitting comic tribute to the trials and tribulations of the American presidential election
It starts with a simple slogan which sums up what American elections are all about: “For America. For Jesus. For Freedom.” This is the motto of Cam Brady (Will Ferrell), shambolic North Carolina congressman, more concerned about his $900 dollar haircut than his electorate, and who’s been running unopposed in the pivotal Hammond election for some time. Until now. Billionaire businessmen want to overthrow him and gain power of the town for their own greedy purposes.
Up steps Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), a camp, moustachioed family man who runs an unsuccessful guided bus tour. He’s the perfect candidate to front a seedy campaign. The gag ratio is high, with jokes firstly about the ‘backbone’ of America (i.e. whoever the speech is being addressed to) and progresses into farcical scenes about jostling election debates and fights to kiss babies.
From a British perspective it seems as politically accurate (albeit exaggerated for comic effect) as any satire you are likely to see in the run up to the ‘real’ American elections, with all this talk about ‘the polls’ and the evermore ridiculous campaign videos. It’s a constant battle of points scoring and jabs at personal lives.
The main butt of the jokes is naturally the fundamentalist right. More could possibly have been made of this heavy political influence as it is one of the more absurd and endlessly fascinating aspects of America, let alone the elections – at least from the outside. There is the usual slurring, heated debates which are more like sporting events, plus streams of accusations of communist ideals and lack of religious commitment from both parties, all very in-keeping with the American public’s expectations.
The jokes are strong and consistently laugh out loud; it never feels like the plot has to be deeper than it is (if you want anything other than a good laugh at the facade of American politics this may not be the film for you). There is some fantastic, innovative material from a solid cast. Dylan McDermott plays a brilliantly subtle role as enigmatic campaign assistant Tim Wattley, which works well alongside some of the more outlandish moments.
The story really delivers inside the family homes, away from the cameras and debating halls, where we see the true personas behind the election masks. The high point comes at the Huggins’ dinner table when Marty makes a plea to his family that if they have any secrets they should speak now before the media comes knocking, which, personally, leads to the most awkward and hilarious scene of the film.
While The Campaign might not scale the heights of Anchorman, Blades of Glory, The Other Guys, Semi-Pro etc., fans of Will Ferrell will not be disappointed. And it’s good to see Zach Galifianakis stepping away from his Hangover-typecast role. This may be nothing you haven’t seen before but there are moments of comic ingenuity that work despite being almost too obvious. And that’s exactly the point when it comes to (American) politics.
By Liam McKenna
