THE CAMPAIGN Blu-ray Review
The Campaign has arrived on Blu-ray just in time for the real elections. If you are tired of watching the real candidates take each other apart with their advertising, then why not watch two fake pundits face off in this relevant comedy. Jay Roach directs Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in the leads. The supporting cast is equally stellar, and includes Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Cox and John Lithgow. There is something for everyone in this film, no matter which political leanings you follow. So sit back, relax and get ready to be bombarded with silly humor and a few belly laughs in this lampooning of politics.
The film follows North Carolina Congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) who is running unopposed for the sixth consecutive term. Despite one scandal after another, Brady continues to find a way into office. That changes when he gets on the bad side of two billionaires, Wade (Aykroyd) and Glen Motch (Lithgow). They search for a candidate to run against Brady, but come up with City of Hammond tourism director Marty Huggins (Galifianakis). In order to turn Huggins into a politician, they bring in cutthroat campaign manager Tim Wattley (McDermott). Wattley teaches the mild-mannered Huggins to be an aggressive politician. Brady and Huggins go head-to-head in one of the dirtiest campaigns you could ever imagine.
I loved watching this in the theater, but I always enjoy a second viewing of comedies because it seems like there is always something I overlooked the first time. The Campaign is no exception. This is not a must-own unless you are a super fan of Ferrell or Galifianakis. However, it is a must-watch for the fact that it has such a great cast and quite a few laugh out loud moments.
The disc has a few noteworthy special features. The best of the bunch has to the be the four minute long gag reel. The disc comes with an extended cut of the movie that adds eleven minutes of laughs -- but I can understand why they were cut. I actually enjoyed the theatrical version the way it is. The obligatory deleted scenes segment is rather long at 16 minutes, and has nine scenes in total. I also enjoyed the Line-O-Rama, which features Ferrell and Galifianakis doing a bunch of improv.
There are much better political comedies out there, but this one is at least worth a watch. Did you see The Campaign in theaters? Are you thinking of buying this on Blu-ray?