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The Campaign
Posted: 08.10.2012 at 1:58 PM
Chris Kennison

Chris Kennison writes the Critics Corner.

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Review by Chris Kennison

Much of the success behind movies and their release dates is attributed to timing, and in that regard, "The Campaign" will be a smash hit. Smack dab in the middle of a huge political season and a vote to determine the future of our country right around the corner, "The Campaign" takes politics and humiliates it. Though as much as the joke is about politics, the joke may be on the people or the voters even more. Most of the gimmicks in the movie ring true, although taken to the extreme. Much of it shows how the way we vote, is not beyond ridicule.

Will Ferrell plays Cam Brady, an incumbent congressmen who is running unopposed and is backed by big money. Despite scandals galore, he continues to be voted in, and this time he is running unopposed. That is until a big money corporation decides to create a candidate that will do their bidding. That is where Marty Huggins comes in. He is a weird guy. The only thing that makes him feasible is a father with a political background. They reshape his life and mold him to their liking. He can be manipulated and Brady and his scandals are ripe for the takedown.

"The Campaign" is reality taken to the extreme. As much as the gimmicks in the film are over-the-top, ridiculous at times and sophomoric, they are all realities. Watching the movie is refreshing to laugh at the things that we complain about on a daily basis but also like wearing egg on your face because we buy into the political gimmicks. The political environment has become a schoolyard slap fight and "The Campaign" takes that fight to the extreme. The canned speeches, the blame game, the bought and sold candidates, the background politics, the poll numbers going up and down based on scandals and sound bites, and the lack of honesty are all fair game.

For me, the movie hit home as a testament to the deteriorated nature of politics. Don’t get me wrong, this is an exaggerated comedy and it is raunchy and revealing at times and I found myself laughing throughout. Yet, as much as it is a really good comedy, it is also a social commentary on how ridiculous we’ve allowed elections to become and how far we have to go to retrieve some sort of honesty and dignity in politics. Cause "The Campaign" is just a movie.

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