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Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis in 'The Campaign': movie review

( R ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

The shticks of Ferrell and Galifianakis are all too familiar in this toothless satire.

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Patti Perret/Warner Bros./AP
'The Campaign' stars Will Ferrell (l.) and Zach Galifianakis (r.) rely on gross-out jokes for the film.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

What these dog days of political campaigning needs is a good, sharp political satire. Alas, “The Campaign” is not that movie – not even close. Will Ferrell plays long-time North Carolina congressman and sleazoid Cam Brady, and Zach Galifianakis, former director of the local tourism center, is his hapless opponent.

The actors’s worn-out shticks are all too familiar in this newfangled setting. Potty jokes and bawdy gross-outs predominate, and the few good laughs are swamped by the overall laughlessness. Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow show up as the bankrolling, ultra-right-wing billionaire Motch brothers. Do you need a road map? Grade: C- (Rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief nudity.)

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