THE CAMPAIGN (2012 - Cert 15)

I didn't have high particularly expectations for this film. It hadn't had good reviews on release and it didn't take anything close to a respectable figure at the box office, but after a Friday off work, a wine drenched lunch followed by a spell in a beer garden, I needed to watch something that wasn't going to be taxing but was going to be funny, I wanted to laugh but I also fancied not having to use my brain particularly. Surely Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis and a race for congress would fit the bill.



Well it certainly was intellectually challenging, but it also wasn't particularly funny either.

Ferrell is Cam Brady, about to enter his fifth term as congressman of North Carolina, the only reason he's managed such a successful stint is the lack of any actual challengers, which is a good job because it's immediately clear that he is useless. One plot contrivance later, and two wealthy brothers are putting their support behind someone to oppose him - in steps Galfianakis as Marty Huggins. Neither of these characters feel fresh or new creations, Ferrell is channeling Ron Burgundy with a different accent and without facial hair and Galfianakis is a weirdo again, a slightly camper weirdo than we are used to, but a weirdo nonetheless. It's also worth nothing that parts of Huggins also appear to be a carbon copy of another comic creation, Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. The similarities aren't subtle either. If you are going to rip off one of the most successful comedy series ever, maybe be a little bit clever about it.

The film is essentially the campaign trail of these two as they go head to head, making a hash out of everything they do, from punching babies and dogs (yes punching babies and dogs), to inappropriate TV ads and interference with each others families. I appreciate that story and narrative aren't going to be top of the list of priorities in this type of film, but as the campaign trail develops, the polls chop and change between the two, seemingly having nothing to do with that they are actually doing. This could be a satirical look at the polls and the political system, but I strongly doubt that. That might require someone involved in making this film actually having to use their brain.

There is an interesting, funny and smart film to be made out of the political process, oh hang on, it has - In The Loop. The American political system is so ripe for taking the mickey out of, The Campaign had a wealth of material with which to play with, but just didn't bother. It instead chose to put together a load of different sketches which could have been slotted into many other comedies, none having anything to do with politics. A rushed, wasted opportunity. Even more irritating when you see that one of the writers was also involved in Spin City (Chris Henchy) and it's directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers 1 & 2 and Meet The Parents).

There's not really much more for me to say, in fact I only saw it 12 hours ago and it's already slipping from my consciousness (I'll accept that a small percentage of that may be down to the excesses of yesterday afternoon).

Don't bother. Any film that makes an 81 minute running time feel in excess of two hours is clearing not doing something (or anything) right.

STEP BROTHERS (2008 - Cert 15)

Anchorman was a phenomenon. It barely made waves at the box office but once it made it's way onto DVD it quickly became everyone's favourite film. People quote it all the time, you can't sit by a swimming pool without someone shouting 'Cannonball' before piling into the wet stuff. Many films since have tried to recapture the formula, to varying levels of success, including those made by the same people, namely Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.

Step Brothers is another attempt by the two of them to do it all over again. The plot, for what it's worth, is tenuous to say the least. A man and a woman embark on a relationship in their twilight years, later discovering that they both have 40 year old sons, Brennan and Dale, that still live at home (Will Ferrell and John C Reilly). The couple get married and then move in together, leaving Ferrell and Reilly to shack up together and share a room.

Cue rivalry and hilarity.



The premise itself has very little to do with the humour of the film. Instead, it's the characters who bear the burden of having to produce the laughs and it's clear to me that the writers of the film (including McKay and Ferrell) did not have much confidence in the concept they created. They felt the need to turn Brennan and Dale into kids in grown up bodies, only without the charm and wit to be found in Tom Hanks' performance in Big.

None of what follows really makes sense (although the same can easily be levelled at Anchorman so that shouldn't necessarily be a criticism) but there are some funny moments, only one or two though, the majority of the gags miss the mark - Tumbleweed galore. The bits that work encapsulate the random humour of Anchorman that I suspect are improvisations (one line here or one visual joke there) and the over the top support characters such as Ferrell's character's more successful brother Derek and his too good to be true family. The parts that don't work are inane and overly juvenile, portraying the lead characters as something closer to mentally deranged rather than socially awkward. It's got a bit of a sinister tone that creates flashes of comedy that left my brow furrowed more than anything else. I'm not being a snob, I have no right to be. The two biggest laughs I had were probably the most childish and stupid moments of the film, an olympic-length fart in a job interview and the collapse of an improvised bunk bed. Having said that, the good work was undone by scenes with a testicle on a drum kit and one focusing on some white dog poo.

I've seen much worse than this, but then I've also seen much better. What I think it shows is that the Ferrell and McKay approach to film is chuck as much jokery at the audience and some will eventually stick. It's the law of averages. It's the same approach they applied to Anchorman, and whatever the reason, the gags stuck to the canvas more during that film. I'm not asking them to become subtle film makers, emulate Wes Anderson and cast Bill Murray in their next film, because they won't, but maybe just to put a bit more thought into what they're doing. I suppose I'm jealous, I'd love people to give me a lots of money to film me and my mates being idiots. Oh hang on, isn't that Jack Ass.....?