Will Ferrell The Campaign Movie Review: Deserves 10 out of 10

Culture

The Campaign, written by Shawn Harwell (Eastbound & Under) and directed by Jay Roach (Recount, Game Change), stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, as opposing congressional candidates running for the chance to represent their small North Carolina congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ferrell and Galifianakis told Vanity Fair that the hysterical and absurd dirty campaigns tactics, with which incumbent Rep. Cam Brady (Ferrell) and challenger Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) attack each other, were inspired in the Republican presidential primary debates -- which were playing in the background as the cast and crew of The Campaign shot the movie.

Both actors also had a blast reading excerpts from the popular erotic book Fifty Shades of Grey as they pretended to audition for the parts of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel -- two of Hollywoods more coveted parts:

Both actors, who – according to director Jay Roach – don’t get along in real life (which brought a “kind of hostility and animosity unparalleled even in politics” to the project), claim they didn’t have to do a lot of research for their roles besides the endless and ubiquitous GOP debates.

“[…] We’re just so inundated by the media that you don’t have to go that far to watch and study politicians. They’re thrown in your face at all times,” said Ferrell. “We are already schooled in the politician’s art of running one’s mouth without really saying anything. You learn that as an actor,” added Galifianakis.

Meanwhile, director Jay Roach said he did a lot of research on the pressure candidates are under to go negative early, and turn bad things into good things and vice verse. “That’s fascinating to me, the spin-doctor thing. And now with billions of dollars pouring into every campaign, paying the spin doctor, the commercial guy, the opposition-research guy, it’s such a heated battle,” he said.  

Watch the trailer for The Campaign: