Review of The Campaign (2012) by Sean L — 17 Feb 2014

Another tick in the long line of silly, themed Will Ferrell vehicles, this doesn't quite reach the heights of Anchorman, Talladega Nights or Old School, but fits comfortably on the second tier alongside Step Brothers and Blades of Glory.

It's a steady rotation of softballs for Ferrell and co-star Zach Galifianakis, who tackle a political atmosphere ripe for satire with all the nuance of a six-foot dildo draped in the American flag.

For what it's worth, most of the gags seem more heavily scripted than I'd expect from these two, so the few scenes that do allow some room for improvisation are, as expected, the best in the film.

The comedians' giant personalities mesh nicely as the picture rolls on, but their relationship doesn't revolve around the kind of relentless give-and-take typified by the similar dual leads in Step Brothers.

Ferrell's all-in as the scumbag lifetime politician, sleazy in ways that haven't even been defined in the English language, but Galifianakis is actually worth rooting for as his soft-spoken upstart challenger.

Of course, it wouldn't have legs if he didn't get his hands dirty at some point, and his gentle nature makes it all the more rewarding when he finally gives in to his baser instincts and fires back in kind.

Funny and thin, but you probably already knew that.