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

I found this movie to be absolutely hilarious. It's filled with the obvious sex jokes that you'd expect, but the not to subtle digs against the current political climate was spot on. They go after the Koch brothers, campaign finance reform, both Republicans and Democrats... just way funny.

This Isent Anything Special
But It's A Really Solid Good Movie!

I went and saw this with about 20 friends tonight and we all laughed we are still quoting it. Only go with a group of people who will not only understand the sex jokes but the cracks at Americas political system.

A hilarious movie about modern politics and politicians, sometimes the actions of main characters were too grotesque, but still the problems observed in this movie are common to all the people all over the world (not only The USA).

What do you get when you mix two of the greatest comedians and a joke on politics? Well, you get the funniest and crudest movie to make fun of politicians. This movie, is great with all it's raunchy, dirty, and crude humour. The only let down of this movie, is it offers no real character depth, and it's not a spectacle. But, that's all right. What this movie does right is the humor, and blending two amazing comedians and actors together to make one enjoyable funny romp!… Expand

I find this movie is underrated. Not only does it have two of the funniest men in comedy today, but it's the fact that this film pushes an over the top ridiculous look at politics. Ridiculous in a good way.

A funny movie, but it's the jokes about what's actually going on in politics nowadays that keep the movie fresh, and without them it would just be another run of the mill comedy. That's the main problem with this movie is that it relies on the same dirty humor that every other comedy has. But like I said the not at all subtle cracks on politics keeep this movie enjoyable.

Will Ferrel is usually hit or miss for me, but he was definitely funny in this one. Zach Galifinakis is usually hilarious and he was his usual self in the campaign, goofy, dumb, and strange yet hilarious. The Campaign is certainly not a perfect film but is it enjoyable? yes. Is it hilarious? Yeah a big majority of the time. Does it have its flaws? Certainly but not too many. The Campaign got a little dull and boring at times but before you know it, it picked right back up. Zach and Will definitely make a great combo and like tropicAces said, Will Ferrels character is very similar to Ricky Bobby in Talledega Nights, except running for congress, and Zachs character is like due date except a little more normal yet not normal, if that makes sense haha. Anyways, the campaign is certainly a good watch if you enjoy a crude laugh out loud comedy, if you don't like crude then you most likely won't enjoy this, and this is certainly not a film for little kids either. The Campaign was funny, a little dull at times, yet it always picks itself backup. Definitely give this a watch (if you can handle crude jokes that is). 6.5/10… Collapse

Funny satire about American Politics, starring Will Ferrel and Zach Galifianakis. Of course, it contains lots of toilet humor, but both leads are so energetic and has such a great chemistry that you can't help but laugh. Some gags such as the 'Punching Baby gag' could have been stupid, but in here, it's hilarious. Check it out!

"The Campaign" is a new movie with the appearance of two popular comedians, Z. Galifianakis and W. Ferrell. It tells a story of a publicly incompetent person suddenly rising up to challenge a continuous winner of local elections. Their mistakes and errors are shown to be funny, and their connection with a large-scale lobbyists is reminded of throughout the plot.

For me this movie wasn't that funny as it was supposed to be (some of the jokes were just too basic and lame). However, I liked how it showed that the elections are so dependent of rich investments that you could be destroyed in seconds if you lost them. The power of lobbyists is clearly shown as a small town guy with not the best looks or public social skills suddenly becomes a good example to others just by being helped by a not-so-friendly looking campaign manager. And he loses it as soon as he declines to go with the demands of the investors. This jumping between campaign candidates mocks the lack of any decent stability in the rich populace and shows that they are willing to create and destroy people just to get what they want.

If you look closer at the plot and the issues that are being brought up, one can see that the movie basically mocks the every aspect of the election - starting with the lobbyists and even touching the electors themselves. In a sense you could say that the movie is showing how unintelligent the electoral population can be (no offense meant for the US, stuff like that happens all across the globe): for example, one of the candidates gains points even after releasing a sex tape as a positive and proud campaign ad. In addition, the timing of this movie is just too good to be a coincidence (the peak of the US election campaigns), so it just screams that there has to be some hidden messages in the movie that would target the electors and their preferences in the upcoming voting.

The movie has the stereotypical Aristotelian ending (I won't reveal it if you haven't seen it yet), which both enforces the previous ideas and targets of mockery, and strengthens the positive attributes of the characters of the plot. It is a relatively good movie with some material for laughing and for deeper thinking towards the issues raised by the creative crew. Because of this combination I would call it almost a black humor comedy which is worth watching if you have the spare time for it (not good enough to set some time aside for it)… Expand

Those expecting sharp political satire need look elsewhere. The Campaign is a typical Will Ferrell vehicle that greatly benefits from the added presence of Galifianakis. The duo provide ample laughs throughout and there are some really funny scenes and lines such as Brady trying to recite the Lord's Prayer from his aides actions or Brady's assertions that everything seems to be 'this nation's backbone' including 'Phillipino tilt-a-whirl operators'. While the film does laugh, and laugh well, at the expense of mud slinging campaigns, expectations of the electorate of a 'real American' politician including portrait of a majestic eagle in the home and of the lack of genuine political discussion, the writers of the likes of The Thick of It need not lose any sleep.… Expand

This isn't quite "Anchorman", but it does have its share of memorable quotes. Ferrell plays basically what Ricky Bobby would be if he ran for Congress, while Galifinakis is like his "Due Date" character only less mean-spirited. While it could have been more political satire instead of slapstick, it was still pretty funny and a thousand times better than "the Watch".

This movie was moderately funny. It had funny parts, more often than not. It also makes the viewer think. It tries to make a point about elections and what the candidates are really thinking and doing. Still a good movie in my opinion.

A decent political comedy that features quite a bit of vulgar language and crude/sexual humor, a lot of it ranging from amusing to pretty funny. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifinakis are great to watch on screen and bring a lot of laughs to the table. My major gripe against it is that it starts taking itself a little too seriously in the 3rd act, which makes the film less enjoyable as it was in the first 2 acts. The film is pretty entertaining on the bright side. While not gut bustingly hilarious, it has enough laughs to keep the viewer satisfied.… Expand

This movie is (at some points) laugh-out-loud hilarious! This movie contains some inappropriate material, but it is still a great movie. Will Ferrell is astounding as always. Zach Galifianakis is also a terrific actor. This movie is unusually long. I had been anticipating it for a month, but I almost fell asleep in the movie theater while watching it. But overall, it is a great movie.

Will Ferrell plays the arrogant incumbent NC Congressman, who's challenged by prissy, inept Zach Galifianakis. Thus begins the crazy, cutthroat battle with lots of absurd situations. The comedy is sometimes clever and amusing, while some of the jokes fall flat. Director Jay Roach, who's comfortable in this wacky world, manages to keep the energy up and push enough outrageous buttons. Ferrell is predictably comical, while Galifianakis is more inventive and fun. This may not be as original or funny as some of the other films by this team, but there's plenty in this political satire to entertain.… Expand

Not all the jokes succeed and the end tries to make itself to important, but the rest of this film is good funny satire with plenty of references to past campaigns. It makes for an all right time at the movies.

There are plenty of silly but crude laughs in The Campaign to make it a decent attempt at seeing a funnier side of the election year, but it falls into many traps that make it stopped it from being so much better.
Will Ferrell stars as Cam Brady, an undefeated and unchallenged Congressman, but after leaving an explicit voicemail, he finally faces competition in the form of Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), a simple-minded yet friendly tour guide, who is strategically placed by the corrupt Motch brothers, who are played and underused greatly by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd.
The funnier moments are at the beginning of the film, the best part of the film has to be when Marty's family decides to let slip secrets to Marty by his request in case it ruins his election, the answers are crude, but are side-splittingly funny.
What the ongoing problem was in the film was its corrupt sub-plot, something this film could have done without entirely, as it had its own standing stone and little jabs at the current system that would have made the film better.
The two leads are on fine form though, Galifianakis in particular, who has created a very different sort of character, but Ferrell's character seems too toned down for the actor, whose ridiculous yet quite ingenious turn in Step Brothers was in a better good tone.
Dylan McDermott also makes quite a comedic turn as the corrupt campaign manger, trying to spruce up and bring Huggins away from his current personality and making him compete and challenge Brady on a verbal and marketing scale.
The big flaw in the film was that it never lets these two leads free, why couldn't they properly trash talk to each other, improvised and unhinged, instead we get a predictable plot with very little to laugh at after the first 30 mins. While there are a few gags throughout the entire film, they just seem too bland for these actors to put across.
But ultimately, this is a decent attempt to poke fun at the current political climate by bringing in two powerhouse comedy actors and letting them have at it, its just a shame that it wasn't consistent.… Expand

Not as good as a lot of other Will Ferrell movies but it's still a very funny movie and watching it after Obama stole yet another election is pretty perfect timing.

I thought the movie had some very funny parts, while you could tell in other parts of the movie, they were just trying to make the movie longer. Overall, I did not feel as if I got my money's worth out of the movie, but would recommend watching it when it is out of theaters.

Yes it has moments that are too stupid and tasteless to be funny, but don't all comedies these days? The important part is that it has enough good moments to make up for the bad ones.

The movie makes good it's promise: raunchy, foul-mouthed humor, amusing moments, and a chemistry between Will and Zach that provides some real laughs without much of a story. The audience this film is intended for will be more than pleased. If you loved "Step Brothers" (2008), this is right up your alley. This is simply a stage for two prominent comedians to slug it out--and it has it's moments. North Carolina's district 14 is about to elect a new Congressman. Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is running unopposed for a fifth consecutive term. After an affair and a massive scandal that follows, Brady's approval rating drops to the point where the billionaire Motch brothers find a candidate to replace him. They choose Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the son of a famous republican, to run against Brady. The ending is ridiculous in attempting some kind of unity of people, and delivering a "message" after 85 minutes of never ending offensive jokes and gags. It is what it is.… Expand

To start off, I'm just gonna say that considering the cast involved, this movie could have been a lot better. I love both Will Ferrel and Zach Galifianakis' acting, but I feel like the writing was poor. So much more could have been done with the story and characters that I felt for most of the movie I was just waiting for something that never happened. It lacked the spark that other films like Anchorman and Step Brothers possessed. I felt like the premise of the movie was something more suited for Adam Sandler. A slightly above average comedy, with some interesting visuals and jokes, but in all a disappointment.… Expand

I have come to expect so much more from Ferrell & Galifianakis. Most of the good gags were in the commercials/trailers. The only scene where I laughed out loud was when Zach's character's family comes clean about their sins. I like the story and the commentary on politics today, but it really was short on laughs.

I wouldn't take my parents to see this movie! I just wonder what kind of parents would let their kids be in this movie? It's downright raunchy. It has some funny parts and the ending did have a semi-good quality about it and it's too bad that we don't have politicians that would give up the power and let someone take over that might do some good. It's a DVD rental. Don't go spend your hard earned money on this flick!… Expand

Want to know the truth about this movie? Well, only a small amount of it is actually real politics. Its actually a decent scripted comedy that pokes at corrupted politics and makes good laughs out of it. It has a few scenes that fall flat, but overall its a funny comedy that offends many.

With 2 comedy stars and a very strong supporting cast of experianced comediac actors leading this movie, You would have expected it to be a lot funnier then what it was. Plot was generic and got too corny at the end. I am a bit disapointed with it to be honest.

Further proof as if any more was needed that Will Ferrell cannot carry a movie. Granted there are funny parts, but you are left with an empty feeling as the credits roll. This is the way I feel after everything Mr. Ferrell does. He should restrict his work to supporting roles.

Truly, this movie had no plot, but was so funny! The movie made me crack up, but the overall creation and story of the movie was messed up entirely. If you've seen other Will Ferrel movies, still see this.

At times, the Campaign is hilarious, utilizing its' stars chemistry to great effect, and at other times, The Campaign stumbles with poor writing and dialogue. The ending was particularly poor, not really tying things together efficiently at all.

The Campaign follows a race for a North Carolina congressional district between incumbent Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) and newcomer Marty Huggins (Zach Galifinakis) and in most ways its very similar to another Gary Sanchez production, The Other Guys. Much like The Other Guys, The Campaign is a wildly absurd take on a much needed system. In The Other Guys it was the police force. In The Campaign its local politics. However unlike The Other Guys, The Campaign tries much too hard getting its audience to laugh as it resorts to played out scenarios like adultery and swearing rants (although they are slightly elevated in quality due to Will Ferrell's ability as a performer). The Campaign has many good singular gags, a few touching moments and some actual character but its mostly drowned out by an its downfalls. Many of the jokes fail to land and Zach Galifinakis' Marty Huggins may be one of the most annoying movie characters around. It's a film that tries desperately to be liked and never really strives to be original and because of that it is more irritating than entertaining… Expand

I have to say that this movie was a disappointment. Zach Galifianakis at no point in the movie was funny. Will Ferrell carried this movie to the end. This movie had great potential to be hilarious. I have to admit that there were some points in the movie that were funny but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who had a low sense of humor and doesn't enjoy potty mouth language. I would not see this movie again. I'm not even sure if it was worth seeing one time.… Expand

Quick review. The campaign is as mindless as it gets. This could be a good thing if done rite, but in the hands of this director it was just a lazily slapped together farce. The humor is dry and would be better suited for a Saturday night live skit much less an actual film. It's so dry and void of any real substance or threat that it's almost as if the writers had no clue how life and family works. In one scene one of the main characters wife's cheats on him, then she tries to make him feel bad saying that he's never around. **** you cheated on him don't make him out to be the bad guy.
At the end of the day the campaign is a lazily put together piece of film that is neither to in depth to be taken seriously, and lacks anywhere near enough humor to be considered mindless fun.… Expand

There are funny parts in this movie, but like all comedy movies they over stay their welcome. About half way through you will be bored because instead of being a comedy, it turns into a drama, and a bad one at that. It is fun to see them making fun of how ridiculous campaigns get.

Going into the theater, I was expecting quite a bit from this film. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis appeared to be an excellent comedic pair, seeing as they were both incredibly funny actors. I was, unfortunately, let down, as I watched carbon copies of Ferrell

The humor is hit-or-miss, but mostly stale. It is fairly passable entertainment until it develops a conscious and gets very dull, very quickly. Sharp satire, this is not.

the funniest thing about this movie is the fact that it is 1 and a half hour long but it feels like 3 hours...oh wait that's not funny.
i don't know much about the American politics but i do understand that there is a message behind this movie however i don't think that the message has been delivered correctly with these stupid characters and silly jokes and stupid events i didn't laugh at all in this so called comedy movie.… Expand

Check out this review of The Campaign: I wasn't very kind to the film because I just didn't like it. http://mostrecentlywatched.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/thecampaign