By It’s an election year, and the primary season has had its share of laughs, some of which have been surreal. Most recently, Rick Santorum yelled “bulls**t” at reporters in a sudden frothy fit of rage. I can’t wait for the convention, which I hope devolves into an extended arm wrestling tournament as the ghosts of Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley, Jr. look on in shame.
Joining the fray, at least in cinematic form, is The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Here’s our first official look at the actors in character. Ferrell looks very John Edwards-like and Galifianakis looks baked out of his gourd. The film was previously titled Southern Rivals and Dog Fight, and it’s directed by Jay Roach. Roach also helmed Game Change, the recent HBO film about Sarah Palin and the 2008 election, which was adapted from the book of the same name by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. Here is a synopsis for The Campaign from EW:
Ferrell plays a Southern congressman who becomes embroiled in a public scandal, opening the door to a challenge from an unlikely Beltway outsider (Galifianakis). “I have a bit of an ethical slip,” Ferrell explains. “I leave a highly sexual message on a very Christian family’s answering machine, thinking I’m calling my mistress.”
I always like a bit of political satire, whether it’s something biting along the lines of The Candidate, absurd like The President’s Analyst, goofy like Team America, or just plain dark like Dr. Strangelove. The Campaign will be dropping our way August 10th. You can see the two candidates in the gallery.
[Entertainment Weekly via First Showing]