The Campaign
Director: Jay Roach
Year Released: 2012
Rating: 1.5
An established (but scuzzy) politician from North Carolina (Will Ferrell, doing his G.W. routine ... again) is challenged by an effeminate dork (Zach Galifianakis, doing his "Seth" routine ... again) who is backed by a wealthy duo of corporate jerks (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) so as to install Evil Slave-Run Chinese Factories (booo!). For every frat-ish joke that works there are innumerable others that flop - the dinner table confessions are a riot but seeing Ferrell penetrate Galifianakis' wife while her head is shoved in a freezer is much less so - and it might have been better off keeping the humor more subtle and subversive and its satire more focused instead of going straight for the grotesque. That it ends up getting Warm and Gushy - in a third act clean-up - with both Ferrell and Galifianakis joining forces to put the rich in their place and keep America 'pure' is a stretch. My vote goes for the loyal (and adorable!) pugs.
