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

Details

Official Sites:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

WWE wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin had filmed a scene where he introduced Cam Brady (Will Ferrell), but the scene was cut before the movie's premiere. However, he can be still seen in the background in a later scene.

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Goofs

After Cam is arrested, a reporter approaches him and asks "You were charged with drunk driving. Is it true you blew a 1.4?" A BAC of 1.4 would almost surely be lethal; at the very least, Cam would surely have been hospitalized, not walking around talking with reporters. It's possible that the character simply misspoke, meaning instead to say 0.14 which is above the legal limit for driving in all states and a much more believable BAC value.

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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

References Donkey Kong (1981)

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Soundtracks

Sugar Sugar
(uncredited)
Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim
Performed by The Archies

User Reviews

The Campaign (2012) - He Just Punched a Baby!

Two comedic favorites Will Ferrell and Zach Galifanakis finally share the screen together in "The Campaign". Although being casted in their usual and cliché roles; Ferrell as a competitive mindless idiot that's considered the best at everything, and Galifanakis as a weird, but likable sweater vest-wearing dork; these two still share a decent chemistry in a movie that's although not a perfect comedy as you'd expect it to be, it's still a pretty decent comedy, that consistently hits the funny bone, sometimes in the right places. Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a presidential candidate that has never lost a single campaign in his life, and is now running for the fifth term. But then, out of the blue, to actually give Brady some competition, Galifanakis' Marty Huggins is volunteered to run for Congress. It then leads into one of the deadliest campaigns ever seen on the face of the earth. Although "The Campaign" doesn't reach the level of complete comedic gold, director Jay Roach was able to bring in some consistent funny moments that are more worthy of a giggle, rather than "bursting to tears" kind of laughs. I was really expecting more from Will Ferrell, who seems to be tiring in his cliché role, and I felt that it was really hard to feel sympathy for this character, because he's the only un-likable person throughout. I guess I had more sympathy for Galifanakis' character, because not only was he funny, but he was also the only person that I actually cared about. But aside from the two male leads, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, and Brian Cox round up the supporting cast, most of them delivering some decent enough performances. I say most of them, because Dylan McDermott's contribution as Marty's campaign manager seemed wasted in the role, and didn't really steal the scenes as everyone said he would. I honestly think that this guy wasn't really that funny. Although half of the jokes sadly fall flat, the other half is filled with one hilarious scene after the next. From the scene with Marty Huggin's family at the dinner table, to Cam accidentally punching a baby at a campaign party. This proves that there are scenes that help save this movie from being a bad one. Although at it's noticeable flaws, "The Campaign" is still a decent and pretty funny movie that has a clear perspective on what it was trying to be. "The Campaign", in my review, "laughable and enjoying, but hardly anything special".