Money, Politics and Film!

     For my free response to film, I decided to discuss the film The Campaign with well-known actors Will Ferrell (Cam Brady) and Zach Galifianakis (Marty Huggins). I picked this film mainly because of its heavy involvement with my topic “money, biases and political power”! With campaigning currently in season I believe this is an appropriate pick! This is film would fall under the genre of comedy and pokes fun at the “American” political establishment.

     With Will Ferrell as the arrogant, sexually explicit and ignorant congressman from a small district in North Carolina, he engages in a political confrontation with a family- oriented, humble and feminine opponent, Marty. During the political campaign as the Republican nominee Marty Huggins and Democratic nominee Cam Brady fight each other in political debates and attack ads; the actors takes us on a journey to show the nature of ‘true’ politics in America with a comical spin!

     Money is one of the main motives in this film. The only reason why the “corrupt” businessmen try to convince Marty to run against Cam Brady in the elections is to do illegal business with Chinese workers. This was supposed to create great revenue in the city at the expense of the environment and the integrity of the community itself. Ultimately, the movie ends without the businessmen succeeding; however, the motive and the theme were evident throughout the whole entire film. Along with vicious campaign ads which are only possible due to money and lobbying, Marty’s lifestyle had to change also. Marty had to change the way he dressed, the interior decoration in his home and the car he drove all had to reflect his affluence.

     Money, Biases (Republican/ Democratic), and Political Power are all major themes throughout this film and is a comical hyperbole of our American political processes. With sexual content, vulgar language and comical genre; the directors for this film has targeted and sold its product to many Americans. The directors did an outstanding job with this comedy in my opinion. This film is a must see!

"The Campaign Official Trailer 2." Video Clip. 20 July, 2012. YouTube. 9 October 2012.