With the US Presidential Election only three months away the timing is perfect for a satire about the political campaign trail, and Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are happy to oblige with hilarious performances that fluctuate between clever and crass.
Ferrell plays smooth talking, sleazy Cam Brady, a Republican North Carolina congressman who suffers a drop in the polls after leaving an explicit message meant for his mistress on a constituent's phone. With Congressional Elections about to take place, two corrupt and powerful businessmen (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) see the opportunity to run a candidate against Brady.
They select naive, idealistic family man Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), who is transformed from effeminate geek to strong candidate by campaign manager Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott). After years of running unopposed Brady has a fight on his hands, with both candidates prepared to stoop as low as they have to in order to win.
Much of the source material will be familiar to those with even a passing interest in American politics; adultery, tweeting your private parts, and questioning other candidates' religion and faith included.
With a country drawl, verbal gaffes, and the ability to talk a lot about almost nothing, we've seen Ferrell do his Cam Brady routine before as George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live and in the short film Presidential Reunion. Not that it's a problem; he does it so well.
