The Campaign
User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 130 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 85 out of 130
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 130
  3. Negative: 16 out of 130

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  1. Mab_987
    Sep 8, 2012
    9
    When I saw the general "meh" reaction for this movie when it came out, I assumed it'd just be some cheap, half-hearted, desperate political satire flick that'd become dated as soon as the 2012 election ends. Fortunately I was wrong. VERY wrong. Not only is The Campaign hilarious, but it also mocks many problems in the world of big-time politics in a way that's exaggerated, but still pretty accurate. Now I'll go a little more in depth. First of all this movie was casted pretty much perfectly. Will Ferrell of course is very experienced in the world of political satire, mainly thanks to his many years on SNL, and does an equally great job as Cam Brady, the incumbent, an egotistical jerk who has succumbed to all the temptations of political fame and knows how to give the people what they want in the most shallow yet effective way possible. You can tell that his performance is drawn slightly from a combination of his George W. Bush impression on SNL and Ron Burgandy in Anchorman, but it's more of a similar overall vibe than a blatant copy. Zach Galifinakis also does a great job as Marty Huggins, the newcoming candidate, a timid family man whose motivations are much more authentic and noble, but soon succumbs to some of said temptations later in the movie, albeit with regret. Other notable performances include Dylan McDermott as Tim Watley, Huggins' shady campaign manager, and Karen Maruyama as Mrs. Yao, Huggins' father's housekeeper who provides some of the most unexpectedly funny lines in the whole movie. One thing to note about The Campaign is that most of the comedy isn't exactly high class stuff, but it's done in the most hilarious way possible. Case in point: the Huggles' "family dinner confessions" scene, which I just wanted to go on as long as possible. And of course the political satire is spot-on, tackling all kinds of evil or just plain stupid things that have sadly become commonplace in big-time politics without coming off as preachy or predictable. Most jokes had me cracking up; even the ones that were targeted directly at conservative Republicans such as myself. And that's when you know it's really good. In fact, no matter how raunchy/overall insane this gets, the odd/somewhat scary thing is that it's usually not too far with what really happens, but with a little more silliness involved. Another interesting thing to note is that instead of making the characters one-dimensional personality cut-outs, which they easily could've done, each character has their own personal struggles, such as Brady's realization of how detached he is from his son and Huggins pretty much having to make a choice between his wife's respect & political victory. And these sub-plots are actually resolved by the end of the movie, even though the writers could've just put them in for one scene in the middle and never brought it up again. Also, these sub-plots manage to bring some realism into the world of exaggeration that some of this movie presents, which ultimately lead to the movie's ending, which is centered all around honesty and how important it can really be in the long run. In conclusion, don't take the lukewarm scores too seriously, since this is a fantastic piece of political satire that I'm sure will still be poignant & relevant to the crazily messed up world of politics for years to come.… Expand
  2. jordanalyousef
    Aug 21, 2012
    10
    Definitely one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Very, very funny. Don't know why there is such a low rating. Definitely worth the $10. I don't post many reviews on this website but for this movie I had to. It's awesome. People with a low intelligence won't really like this movie as much though or find it as funny.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 35
  3. Negative: 5 out of 35
  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Simon Braund
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    The Campaign gets by on its stars' comic compatibility and a relentless stream of jokes, many of which are laugh-out-loud funny. The only real downer is the ending, which feels tacked on like a hanging chad.
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  2. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Ken McIntyre
    Sep 1, 2012
    60
    Although only slightly more outrageous than reality, The Campaign is a funny, pacy peek behind the political curtain.
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  3. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    Aug 12, 2012
    50
    Roach is too stiff a director to give Ferrell room to romp. Bits like the one in which he's challenged to recite "The Lord's Prayer" needed extra zigs and zags instead of variations on the same joke. A looser director like Adam McKay (Step Brothers) might have created a happier climate for improv.
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