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The Campaign

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, and Jason Sudeikis
Directed by: Jay Roach
Screenplay by: Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell

     And I thought the actual 2012 presidential election was entertaining.
     Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is North Carolina's 14th district's Congressional representative.  He's been there for a few terms and all he's had to do to win his seat each election is simply sign the form to put him on the ballot.  But now Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) is running against Brady.  So Brady actually has to campaign against Huggins.  Backed with millions of dollars from the Motch brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd), can Huggins beat Brady?
     You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that this film clearly has parallells to other campaigns both past and present.  They make it so incredibly obvious that it looks like you're watching a fantasy version of what's really happening between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, which is kind of the point.  For example, the Motch brothers are a parody of the Koch brothers who are backing Romney with their millions.
      The story takes us through each of the campaigns in the weeks leading up to election day.  We see some of the major issues being fought over such as jobs (again, similar to today's real life issues in this country).  But all the fun lies in the scandals and flops each candidate makes that would theoretically make them less viable candidates.
       Ferrell delivers a hilarious performance as Cam Brady.  He plays the totally air-headed representative that we seem to have so many of in Congress these days.  But he seems like he could actually be a serious candidate if he wasn't going around punching babies and Uggie, the dog from The Artist.
       Galifianakis on the other hand plays a much more serious candidate.  On the surface, he seems a little like the character we've seen him play before in films like The Hangover.  But deep down, he's really the serious candidate who seems like the guy who can beat the incombant representative.  And he actually cares about the district he may serve if he wins the election.
       With pretty much all Will Ferrell movies, there are a whole lot of random and unnecessary sex jokes.  And yeah, they're pretty funny for a little bit.  This is one of his films where, if they left all that out, it would still be completely hilarious.  If you pay attention to the news and what's going on with this year's presidential race, you'd think you're seeing all of this stuff again, but in a much less serious fashion.
       As fun as it is to hear President Obama talk about Mitt Romney's plan for the country as "Romney Hood", watching this film is a well needed break from all the "Romney Hood" talk.
       So I'm casting my vote for this movie:  And I give it a B.

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