Well. All the King’s Men it ain’t.
It would be easy to assume Jay Roach’s comedy was a biting satire about the ugliness of American campaign-trail politics. It turns out to be possibly the least politicised film about politics ever. With nary an ounce of wit, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis attempt to out-mug each other with tiresome results.
Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a smug, idiotic, much-loved Congressman who has never had an opponent. When his philandering ways are revealed, the wealthy Koch – I mean – Moche Brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) decide to take advantage of his vulnerability. Enter oddball, effete everyman Marty Higgins (Galifianakis), groomed by a Machiavellian campaign manager (Dylan McDermott) to run against Brady.
Clocking in at a swift 85 minutes, Roach wastes no time on character development, build-up or even plot. The Campaign echoes Anchorman and Bruce Almighty in its wars-of-the-witless theme. Though a few gags work – Jason Sudeikis frantically attempting to mime The Lord’s Prayer to a clueless podium-bound Brady is a particular highlight – Roach exercises no skill in tying everything together.