Thoughts On: The Campaign (2012)

The reason why this film was made: I do not know. Quite frankly I don't think anyone knows.

With the political satire that exists ever-so slightly in the Campaign, it is largely a failure as a comedy.  Will Ferrell has always been the backbone of his comedic features and this time around he is supplemented by Zach Galifianakis's character - who, thanks to The Hangover series, has been overused to the bone.

There are some hilarious moments here and there but the hilarity only lasts a few seconds. This is due to the emotional (usually sad) moments that follow. As a result, for instance, you'll find yourself cracking up at the absurd trash talk between these two characters, only to be confronted by a feeling of sudden disgust. Some things throughout the film made me question the director's vision overall. "What exactly is Jay Roach driving at?" was something I asked myself often as I sat through the damn thing. I guess this is what happens when you have 3 writers on-board. It becomes a matter of just cherry-picking seemingly funny cuts stuffed with profanity and placing them wherever it makes sense. This appears to be the approach to comedy these days.

The characters themselves are confused as hell, I might add. At one instant you've got Cam Brady's (Will Ferrell) political life which he is living by the American dream and on the other end you've got his sex life that keeps popping up everywhere. Including hints to his wife sleeping with different politicians to gain morale for her husband's campaign. I understand where the comedy is in this film, but it's shrouded with taboo ideas that shouldn't even be there in the first place. Are we watching a comedy or a debate with sex tapes being the subject and politics just being a supporting point? I don't know about you but this movie proves that these two topics just don't mix well for comedy.

I did however watch The Naked Gun: Files From the Police Squad this weekend - a film that stands out as one of the best comedic features ever made. This, I really needed after being let down by that awful Will Ferrell movie. The Naked Gun proves that your comedies don't have to have an emotional element at all. They can just be a mash-up of hilarious scenes that contrast with reality, while remaining within a story. Think about it, the Naked Gun is just Leslie Nielson going around being stupid while the plot is as cliche as can be. In fact, it's almost a spoof of what you'd see in a James Bond flick!