The Campaign
Release Date:
August 10, 2012
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 37/169 |
Max Braden |
Like Step Brothers but at lower volume. There's a bunch of funny stuff here. Katherine LaNasa is great as Ferrell's pragmatic wife. |
Comedian Will Ferrell’s career has been on the downswing as of late. For every The Other Guys ($119.2 million) or Step Brothers ($100.5 million), there has been a Semi-Pro ($33.5 million) or Land of the Lost ($49.4 million). North American audiences have a mercurial passion toward Ferrell’s films. Consumers have also done a fairly impressive job of identifying his garbage projects from the very funny ones.
Zach Galifianakis is a much newer name in comedy. Prior to the release of The Hangover in 2009, few people had ever heard his name before. After that movie earned $277.3 million domestically, the legacy of the Wolfpack of One was secured, at least temporarily. The actor had already filmed several other titles in the duration prior to the career spike caused by The Hangover, and most of those did well. In particular, his quirky performance in Dinner for Schmucks was highly praised.
The first movie Galifianakis chose after breaking out in The Hangover was a buddy comedy with one of the world’s most popular actors, Robert Downey Jr. Even though Due Date was something of a misfire in terms of quality, it still earned $100.5 million domestically. Afterward, Galifianakis agreed to The Hangover 2, and its $254.5 million assured his reputation as an up and coming box office draw.
Director Jay Roach of Austin Powers and Meet the Parents/Fockers fame enjoyed working with Galifianakis in Dinner for Schmucks and decided to place him in combat with Will Ferrell in their next project. The film is The Campaign and its premise is simple. Ferrell portrays an incumbent congressman from North Carolina. Galifianakis is an inexperienced politician who one day quite randomly decides to oppose the congressman in the general election. A pair of CEOs with deep pockets hates Ferrell’s character and attempt to orchestrate his ouster from Congress. In order to accomplish this, they throw their support to Galifianakis’ character and that’s all we need for the magic to happen.
The Campaign is a straightforward yet sublime premise in a divided red state/blue state country, particularly in an election year. Less than three months before the actual election occurs, Ferrell and Galifianakis will try to one-up the Jan Brewers and Sarah Palins of the world with even funnier viral videos disguised as political commentary. The potential for a break-out blockbuster is huge. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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