The Campaign (2012)

An incumbent Representative embroiled in personal scandal faces a no-holds-barred challenge from a naive newcomer funded by two unscrupulous billionaire lobbyist brothers.

Director:

Jay Roach

Writers:

Chris Henchy (screenplay), Shawn Harwell (screenplay)

Stars:

Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	...	Rep. Camden 'Cam' Brady
Zach Galifianakis	...	Martin Sylvester 'Marty' Huggins
Jason Sudeikis	...	Mitch
Dylan McDermott	...	Tim Wattley
Katherine LaNasa	...	Rose Brady
Sarah Baker	...	Mitzi Huggins
John Lithgow	...	Glenn Motch
Dan Aykroyd	...	Wade Motch
Brian Cox	...	Raymond Huggins
Karen Maruyama	...	Mrs. Yao
Grant Goodman	...	Clay Huggins
Kya Haywood	...	Dylan Huggins
Randall D. Cunningham	...	Cam Brady Jr. (as Randall Cunningham)
Madison Wolfe	...	Jessica Brady
Thomas Middleditch	...	Travis

Storyline

When Cam Brady (D-NC), a four-term Congressman, becomes a liability, the Motch brothers (think Koch brothers) recruit Marty Huggins, the son of a Republican heavy hitter, to run against him and be their vehicle to establish factories in the district that will import cheap Chinese labor. Trouble is, Marty is a lightweight, so his makeover falls to consultant Tim Wattley. The race tightens as Cam constantly shoots himself in the foot, while the prospect of winning also changes Marty and his family's dynamics. Meanwhile, Cam plays dirty, and Marty cottons on to the Moches' grand plan. What options do the rich have to get their way?

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | congressman | north carolina | campaigning | u.s. congressman | 

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Taglines:

May the best loser win.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exterior shot of the Motch Mansion is the same used as Wayne Manor in the television series Batman (1966-1968).

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Goofs

At the end, when accepting the congressional office that Cam Brady has declined, Marty Huggins says that he is going to "...end Daylight Savings Time. I hate when it gets dark early." In fact, DST extends the daylight so that it does not get dark early, but later.

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Quotes

Cam Brady: [after getting bit by a snake] He spilled the venom from my blood! It's a miracle!

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Crazy Credits

During the credits there is an additional scene depicting the trial with Motch brothers. The scene also partly explains the origins of Tim Wattley.

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Alternate Versions

An Extended Cut running an extra 10 minutes is available on the Blu-ray. As well as inserting new scenes not seen in the theatrical cut, the drunk-driving scene plays out in a significantly different way. Cam has new dialogue as he steals the cop car, and he doesn't lose control and hit a cow - he realises what he's done, turns the car around (hitting a dumpster) and then drives back to the cop, who arrests him.

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Connections

Referenced in Fear Me (2016)

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Soundtracks

99 Revolutions
Written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt
Performed by Green Day
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

The Campaign...2.5 out of 4 Skittles

t seems like it should be easy to make a funny movie about the state of our political climate….rich, greedy, corrupt people spending millions of dollars to make television ads that spread blatant lies to the uninformed voting public, but The Campaign ends up feeling a bit underwhelming of what could have been.

Screenwriters Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell only scratched the surface of the real life hilarity of the current political landscape. All they had to do was turn on any TV news channel and take note of the circus that current politics have become…from former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Weiner-Gate to…well…Sarah Palin, but for Chris Henchy, the writer of past stinkers Land of the Lost and The Other Guys, I guess that is what should be expected.

Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Anchorman) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Due Date) make a fine comedic duo, but their one-note characters leave these candidates without much to say. Ferrell ends up doing a less funny version of his George W. Bush impersonation. His iconic character was a slam-dunk on short SNL skits, but runs thin in a feature film.

The Campaign definitely provides its share of laughs that keep this film above average, but doesn't live up to other classic films produced by Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez production company…I.E. Step Brothers, Anchorman, Talladega Nights. The Campaign may end up being one of the most profitable comedies of the 2012 blockbuster season, but compared against the other duds Hollywood barfed out this summer (The Watch, That's My Boy, The Dictator) that isn't saying too much.

For more quick reviews check out www.FilmStallion.com

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Southern Rivals

Filming Locations:

Courthouse Square, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$95,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,588,460, 12 August 2012

Gross USA:

$86,907,746

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$104,907,746

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Gary Sanchez Productions, Everyman Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 96 min (DVD extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1