Unnecessary plot holds back ‘The Campaign’

A good comedy doesn’t have to have a complex plot. Take Napoleon Dynamite, a clever character-driven movie about a group of high school outcasts who support their friend in his quest to become class president. The simple storyline suited the movie perfectly. The Campaign, a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, could have used some streamlining. While the two actors have good chemistry as political rivals, the setup is just too flimsy and the talents of some great actors (Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow) are wasted.

The film gets off to a good start as we’re introduced to the two main characters: Congressman Camden Brady (Ferrell) and local tour guide Martin Huggins (Galifianakis). The two couldn’t be opposite. Perfectly-coiffed Camden has just weaseled his way out of a blunder where he left an explicit voicemail intended for his mistress on the answering machine of a devoutly Christian family. But, since he generally runs unopposed, he doesn’t think it’ll affect his ability to be re-elected in the tiny North Carolina district he represents. Meanwhile the pug-loving Martin, an eccentric character whose own father (Brian Cox) even believes is a loser, cowers every time he encounters confrontation. But, in an effort to make is papa proud, Huggins naively accepts an out-of-the-blue offer from a couple of D.C. lobbyists (Lithgow and Aykroyd) to back him as the Republican candidate in a run against Camden.  He is completely unaware the lobbyists have ulterior motives, intending to get him to rubber stamp the “insourcing” of foreign sweatshops into his district.

The lobbyists send over Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott) to train Martin for the political battle that’s about to ensue. Martin gets a makeover and the two opponents engage in one preposterous confrontation after another. There’s baby punching, celeb dog punching, trash talking, hunting accidents and a host of other ridiculously bad behaviors that make the film funny. A little ridiculous and crude, it’s just what you’d expect from screenwriters Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell (Eastbound & Down). But, when the pesky “insourcing” plot emerges again toward the film’s end, it gets in the way of a good time.

Director Jay Roach does a good job of getting memorable performances out of Galifianakis, Ferrell, and Jason Sudeikis, who plays Camden’s campaign manager. And he wisely lets Ferrell and Galifianakis riff without letting their ad-libbing go out of control. But the film would have done better as an entirely character-driven comedy. The message about the dirty dealings that go in D.C. takes you out of the moment and simply clutters an essentially uneven comedy.