Jared and I had a laid back date night last night, which involved grabbing a cup of coffee at Starbucks as we walked to The Pavilion in South Slope to catch a movie, and slice of pizza at midnight during our trek home. (The Pavilion is about a 25 minute walk from our apartment.)
We saw The Campaign, which we both wanted to see, something that hardly every happens. It was absolutely hysterical. Will Ferrell (who I'm not a huge fan of) was great in his role as Congressman Cam Brady, which included acting out a highlight of the most absurd and ridiculous shenanigans of scandalous politicians. And while there was a certain element of over-the-top, crass jokes, it played right in to the storyline, and was far funnier than Talladega Nights or Anchorman. Zach Galifianakis (who I am a big fan of) was really the star of the movie. His portrayal of Marty Higgins was unbelievably funny. When the viewer meets his character, he is a flamboyant, smalltown tour guide, with a quirky family and two pugs he adores. His transformation into a tough, dirty politician under the guidance of Dylan McDermott's character, Tim Wattley, had both of us - and the theater - laughing out loud. Jason Sudeikis also put in a solid performance, in the most serious role of the movie, as Cam Brady's campaign manager, Mitch, who disagrees with the crazy antics and new lows Cam Brady engages in his attempt to win the election.
The plot of the movie is why it is so good. The writers incorporate all of the absurdity that has become American politics. This includes the inevitable sex scandal with the Stepford wife supporting the philandering husband, nominating unqualified candidates, exorbitant campaign contributions to candidates for their support of certain legislation, political showmanship, pandering to voters, the naiveté of citizens thinking they have the ability to change the process, familial pressures; it's all there. The really creative part of this comedy is that the political themes are broken down and presented to the viewer in a comical way, but also call attention to the serious issue of a broken political system. For those who follow politics, it is clear that the movie is making a comment on the failure of leaders in Washington, D.C., and in many cases, state and city governments. For viewers who are less versed in politics, one can begin to piece together the different arguments. For those only there for the WIll Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis antics, hopefully the message sunk in subliminally.
For those of you who haven't yet seen The Campaign, I (and I'm pretty sure Jared does too) highly recommend it for a fun Friday night flick.
