DOWNSIZING Review

Immediately after walking out of director Alexander Payne's latest, Downsizing, I wasn't sure what to think. My first thought was that it was all over the place, but in a commendable way. I think I like it, I thought. I'm still pretty sure I enjoyed it and it has been quite some time since I saw it. Everything about the film though, is designed to upend your expectations of it. Being an Alexander Payne film titled Downsizing one immediately assumes this is will be a raw human drama about a middle-aged white male losing his job and realizing his life never amounted to the ambitions of his youth while likely coming to terms with the passing of time and its fleeting nature. It would be fair to assume that, but this Downsizing is not. Rather, the consistently good yet similarly themed films of the writer/director seem to have sparked a need for a different kind of endeavor in Payne and while Downsizing still shares a number of ideas (maybe one too many, even) that have very clearly sprung from what is on Payne's mind at the moment he certainly doesn't go about conveying them in the fashion one might expect given his filmography. Rather, Downsizing is very much designed to be one of those sincere, but rather goofy high-concept comedies of the nineties. One where everything in the world of the movie isn't that bad for our protagonist even though they seem to be discouraged by the results of what they've become i.e. lame adults. One where the production design relates this new technological advancement to something familiar a la the microwave "ding!" that goes off each time the shrinking procedure is complete. One where the score is heavily made-up of those cheesily inspiring springs that intend to make the audience really feel the wonder of the moment at the film's main discovery (think Jurassic Park). I guess, in a lot of ways, Downsizing is like Jurassic Park as it is a movie that revels in a discovery that is potentially the greatest thing since landing on the moon while also being one where man plays God; warning us of the potential dangers of technology. These advancements in both films, one being cloning dinosaurs and the other being shrinking humans, are thought of inherently as beneficial. While Downsizing ultimately seems to be for the better it doesn't shy away from the controversy that grows to surround the procedure and so, unlike Jurassic Park, Payne isn't preaching that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. He seems to think we should. He knows we need to do something and Downsizing is a way of saying as much about saving the planet without being overly serious or hackneyed about it. Too bad it doesn't have dinosaurs though.

First Trailer for DOWNSIZING Starring Matt Damon

Director Alexander Payne has always been hit or miss for me. I like certain works more than I do others, I find certain premises more appealing than I do some, but this is with most things in life. The difference with Payne is the fact each of his works seem to have this throughline of similar themes to them which mainly consist of men his age, or whatever age he was at the time of writing the screenplay, dealing with certain things men of his age tend to deal with. There is nothing particularly wrong with this-write what you know, after all-but with his latest titled Downsizing it seems the writer and filmmaker was looking for a way of doing something different with the themes he wanted to explore and likely re-visit in some capacity. Payne is the guy who brought us Election and About Schmidt as well as the guy who crafted Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska. Point being, he can tell very human tales while also having a knack for exaggerations of certain types. And so, it seems in many ways that Payne is trying to get back to some of the more artistic licenses he took with his characters and their scenarios in his early days rather than telling simple, but grounded tales that are purely true to the human spirit. Payne still hopes to scratch at something human yet intangible, but he also wants to convey this in a fun and interesting way. Enter the premise of Downsizing where a kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time. It's clear from this first full trailer that Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor (who last worked with Payne on Sideways) have a lot on their minds and much they'd like to discuss and it will be interesting to see how Payne, a typically small-scale filmmaker, handles what looks to easily be his biggest film to date, but more I'm curious to see what point of view Payne and Taylor have come at things from as far as the human race and the environmental and economical imprint we're leaving on this planet. And while reactions out of the festival circuit have been mixed at best I'm anxious to see what this picture ultimately amounts to. Downsizing stars Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Laura Dern, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Patrick Harris, James Van Der Beek and opens on December 22nd, 2017.

MASTERMINDS Review

The best thing one can say about Masterminds is that it seemingly accomplishes what it sets out to do and be. Of course, that's a pretty solid compliment if you're going for a certain type of quirky/oddball comedy that not everyone will understand or even care to understand. It has always felt as if director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) has marched to the beat of a slightly different drum than any other comedy director and that continues to show in his feature films as he documents characters that are interesting or strange because of the inherent state of their personality rather than documenting the actions of fairly average individuals who are put into extraordinary circumstances. That isn't to say the ensemble cast of Masterminds don't find themselves in the middle of some pretty spectacular circumstances because they do, but this is due to the fact they voluntarily sign up for crazy expeditions rather than them being thrust upon them. Now, this isn't original to Hess' films of course; plenty of comedies find humor in the eccentric and the zany, but Hess notches it up a few levels-making his films feel as if they are operating not in the real world, but from the perspective of these bizarre minds that allow us to see the world how they see it: in unconventional and bizarre ways. This is especially glaring in Masterminds as it reminds us time and time again that what is happening is based on a true story that occurred in 1997 and at the time, was the second-largest all-cash robbery in U.S. history. As with most "based on a true story" movies the film version of these events takes the real life events and paints them in broad strokes though it at least seems that writers Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Emily Spivey have kept the general facts of the case intact enough while interpreting those actions to inform character decisions that give way to the more outlandish tone the film sports. Of course, how are we to know that what we're treated to in Masterminds isn't exactly how the real David Ghantt perceived things to be during these time in his life? The point is-it doesn't matter. Whether they were or not I can appreciate that Hess takes on a certain singular style and approach and applies it to every scene making what was already a fascinating story that much more enjoyable...if you enjoy Hess' particular brand of nonsense, that is.

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE Review

Walking into this feature length film based on, not even a legit video game, but an app I had no idea what to expect or what type of story this thing might entail. That said, I didn't expect much from The Angry Birds Movie and so to find out that it wasn't a complete waste of time, but in fact pretty funny in certain spots and put together with a fair amount of competence and investment that it delivered lush visuals and entertaining characters was nothing short of a pleasant surprise. In reality, this is a movie that epitomizes an inconsequential piece of entertainment, as it is neither important nor significant by any stretch of the imagination. What The Angry Birds Movie does well enough though, is serve the purpose for which it was created and that is to keep the kiddos and fans of the game entertained for a brief ninety minutes on a weekend afternoon. Having never played the game I can't really speak to how well the film integrates the elements of the game or if these are done in natural, organic ways as opposed to being shoehorned in for the sake of hitting the more popular elements of the game, but as far as story is concerned the premise that is set up with our three main protagonists is more or less an excuse to have the climactic third act of the film be a more detailed version of watching the computer play a round of the game for you. This isn't really an issue-it's kind of the point after all, but in doing this the question that arose was if the characters we're introduced to are interesting enough to care about when it comes time for them to risk their lives potentially knocking down a pig city. Do we care about what is being risked, what is potentially being destroyed, or what is being sought after? For the most part, the answer is a fine enough yes. There is no reason to become emotionally invested in these proceedings and there is certainly no need to become frustrated with the expected beats this redemption story hits, but in tackling this particular kind of story the film hits the beats well enough that you're willing to go along for the ride, listen to the pop-infused soundtrack, and smile against your better judgement when pop culture references are made for no apparent reason or every time Jason Sudeikis has to spout a bad bird pun.

RACE Review

Race has good intentions. That is probably the best thing one could say about it which is unfortunate given its subject matter. One hears about the epic talent of Jesse Owens from the time they're in elementary school, when racing one another at recess was just something you did. With this myth and the still spectacular accomplishments Owens achieved as a track and field star very much ingrained in the history of not just American sport, but America in general it's somewhat surprising a movie about the man hasn't already been made. And so, Race has good intentions, clearly. Regrettably, that is all it has going for it though, as director Stephen Hopkins (a spotty director who has credits on well-renowned TV series, but whose feature credits are rather lousy) infuses his film with little to no energy leaving audiences to feel more as if they're walking through a Jesse Owens exhibit at a museum than becoming immersed in his life experiences. The film is a by the numbers biopic that takes us through the year of 1933 when Owens begins attending Ohio State up through the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The film gets points for not being your traditional cradle to grave biopic as it never dwells on the fact Owens was one of ten children and only notes his penchant for running by referencing his equaling of the world records in the 100-yard dash and long-jump competitions while still in high school. Of course, it is this achievement that would gain Owens national attention and the attention of numerous colleges from which Owens would choose Ohio State due to the reputation of their coach, Larry Snyder, for being the best there was. Did I lose you over those last few sentences? Dolling out information that is undoubtedly interesting, but as no soul or feeling were extracted from them you also tended to feel nothing. Well, guess what? That is pretty much how the movie will make you feel as well. It plays out, hitting all the expected beats of a film about a famous figure, sports or any kind of star, and then slogs to its conclusion before delivering the obligatory note cards over real-life pictures of our main characters that tells what the rest of life held for them. All interesting, but never invigorating.

Teaser Trailer for MASTERMINDS

It has been too long since director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) has made a feature with his last being 2009's underwhelming Gentlemen Broncos. Though he does have another film on the docket for release this year that also features a pretty stellar comic cast, our focus right now is on Masterminds which sees Hess moving from what seems to be his signature small-scale filmmaking methods to something of a larger production while keeping the aesthetic intact. I can only hope this is true as I strangely appreciate the approach Hess has with each of his films and while it may be more nostalgia than actual memory talking I only have the fondest of feelings for Nacho Libre. As for his latest, the director has teamed with screenwriting team Jody Hill and Danny McBride (The Foot Fist Way, Observe & Report, Eastbound & Down) to bring to life the true story of armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt who, in 1997, stole $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company. At the time this was the largest cash robbery on U.S. soil. From the treatment both David and his story seem to be getting on screen though it seems as if he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box in the first place and thus it has been turned into a comedy. All of that said, the film will likely have a good portion of social commentary and hopefully some truly inspired character insights as Zach Galifianakis leads the film in what looks to be an outrageous performance that I can only hope is equally hilarious. Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Ken Marino, Kate McKinnon, Devin Retray and Leslie Jones join Galifianakis for the shenanigans as Masterminds opens on August 7th.

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 Review

What do you get when you take an outlandish premise that every middle class American can relate to, mix it with a cast chock full of more diverse talent than any other comedy in recent memory and let them both free to wander where the wind takes them? That would be the original Horrible Bosses which, back in 2011, stuck out to me as one of my favorite comedies so far that year. It was just effortless. And that is saying a lot in a summer that also counted Bridesmaids among its hits. The film was immediately funny and fast paced with a cleverly written script that gave the summer season a feeling the raunchy R-rated comedy was here to stay. Naturally, after this type of high came the downslide with the less broad, but not as bad as everyone says Bad Teacher and the truly terrible Change-Up in which Jason Bateman also starred. Every year we get this slew of raunchy summer comedies intended for the masses that studios have thought we craved since Wedding Crashers truly revitalized their appeal, but only a couple, if any, ever break out to become genuinely funny over time or command real staying power. I liked Horrible Bosses the first time I saw it and probably watched it two or three more times once I bought it on blu-ray, but did it have the staying power of such recent classics that have also commanded sequels such as 21 Jump Street or Ted? Maybe not, but much like with the fellas from the Hangover series I simply like having the opportunity to hang out with these characters so a sequel seeing Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), Nick (Bateman) and Dale (Charlie Day) get into more mischief was completely acceptable and more than justified if not really necessary. At all.

New Trailer for HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

I was pretty taken in the dead of summer 2011 when Horrible Bosses showed up and gave us an original comedy that delivered moreso than the comedy sequel we'd been waiting on that year, The Hangover Part II. There was just something about the ensemble cast, the films carefree tone and slapstick roots that meshed brilliantly with the chemistry the three leads were able to pull together. In short, it became one of those comedies I could watch over and over again once it hit home video. In the days of short attention spans and legacies that never last though, if one wants to remain relevant they must continue to deliver and so this year, when we've already had both a successful original comedy (Neighbors) and a successful sequel to a comedy (22 Jump Street) it feels we're a bit spoiled by the fact we get another high profile comedy sequel, but unfortunately it also feels (at least on first impression) totally unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, like The Hangover trilogy, I wouldn't mind watching another one of these movies simply as an excuse to hang out with the leads, but the first film was such a solid single entry it seemed making a follow-up with the same characters having just as wild an experience would do nothing but devalue the memory of the first film. As is typically the case though, this new trailer for the film makes our boys look qualified for a comeback as kidnappers rather than murderers in pretty funny fashion. Horrible Bosses 2 stars Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Chris Pine, Kevin Spacey and opens November 26th. Check out both the new trailer and poster after the jump.

WE'RE THE MILLERS Review

I love early August comedy releases. Though this spot is usually reserved for a Will Ferrell comedy every other year and thus may be the reason it holds a special place in my heart, We're the Millers does a fine enough job of filling that void until Ferrell unleashes his massive sequel he's saved for Christmas this year. While this has been a particularly stale year for American comedy, not to mention this summer, with the most memorable thing to come out so far being the very meta, very elaborate inside joke we all felt a part of that was This is the End. What was unfortunate about that film was that it didn't leave the big cultural impression I expected it to, or hasn't immediately anyway. It may pick up steam once it arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD as it will no doubt become my default funny flick to toss in when I'm bored, but as for We're the Millers I was hoping for a little something more, something lasting from the summers final funny effort. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber hasn't made a feature film in five years and that one, titled The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, didn't exactly do much (I'd never even heard of it). Before that, his last film was 2004's Dodgeball. Now, I loved Dodgeball as it came during that sweep of a summer that also included Anchorman and was preceded by Starsky & Hutch in March. It was a consistent set of comedy monopolized by the likes of Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Ferrell. It is clear those days are long gone now as not even a Wilson/Vaughn reunion flick garners much excitement, but Thurber is at least intent on trying to keep that type of comedy intact and continuing the tone by any means possible. For, if nothing else, what I took away from We're the Millers was that initially underrated feeling that I will come to love in the long run. I know there are jokes I missed, inflections on certain lines I will laugh at more when I hear them again, and certainly something more to the characters of David and Kenny that I'll end up feeling more akin to and as a result laugh at their jokes even more. It is a comedy that, while funny enough on first viewing, will undoubtedly grow on me as time goes by. That may not be the best compliment to pay a film right out the gate, but as for now that is the biggest highlight of this high concept comedy.

EPIC Review

I won't lie when I say there was no real reason for me to see epic. I don't have children and I'm not necessarily an animation junkie, but I don't mind trying out the latest computer animated films as more times than not they have a certain high degree of quality to them despite their markets current over-saturation. Besides epic, which has the distinction and the advantage of opening the summer movie season for the kiddos, we have the annual Disney Pixar offering which this year is a prequel to one of my favorites of theirs, Monsters Inc. as well as the sequel to 2009's surprise animated hit from Illumination Entertainment Despicable Me which could end up wiping the floor with Dreamworks Turbo that opens a few weeks after Gru and his minions no doubt dominate the fourth of July weekend. And while epic will seemingly only be on the same quality level as that forgotten before it gets here Ryan Reynolds vehicle it still has some good qualities going for it. With epic, Blue Sky studios (the Ice Age films, Rio) has delivered a completely creative and imaginative world of characters that suffer only from the lack of originality that is delivered through its story. This may be due to the fact that five different writers collaborated on the screenplay or simply because when you break it down to its simplest form it is as classic a tale of good vs. evil as there ever could be. I don't mind this because it has a few other layers that make the story a little more engaging if not being a little too subtle for the target audience. Still, despite the fact that epic is sometimes unintentionally funny when at its most serious and often can feel like a direct to video feature, it looks like a big studio film and has enough creative juices flowing in its character and production designs that we can forgive it's laziness in terms of story, for the most part.        

First Trailers for WE'RE THE MILLERS

Though little has been heard or seen surrounding director Rawson Marshall Thurber's first full length feature since Dodgeball it is on the night before The Hangover Part III is released that we get our first taste of what this comedy promises. As Ed Helms plays a supporting character here we will likely be seeing these trailers in front of that major comedy sequel this weekend, but the main attraction here is that it is a fresh comedy with a zany premise that looks surprisingly promising. Maybe it was the fact Thurber has taken a good amount of time off between directing features or that several of the major comedies this year feel somewhat familiar, but something about the aura this movie is giving off makes me feel it could definitely be the sleeper hit of the summer. There are a good amount of laughs in the trailer that imply an effortless quality to the pacing of the film and the free flowing jokes. Though the highlight of the trailer for many will be Jennifer Aniston playing a stripper it looks like her pretend son Kenny (Will Poulter of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) might steal this show. People seem to be fairly divisive on whether they think Jason Sudeikis is funny or not, but I've always enjoyed the guy on Saturday Night Live and though besides Horrible Bosses he hasn't really had that great a kick-off to his film career (most have already forgotten Hall Pass and we won't count his supporting role in The Campaign) this could easily jump start his career and put him off and running as he prepares to depart the late night comedy show. Thurber seems to have rounded up a good cast of comedians to fill in the bit parts as Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, Emma Roberts and Thomas Lennon will also be joining the party. We’re the Millers opens August 9. Hit the jump to watch the red and green band trailers.

MOVIE 43 Review

I don't even know where to start with this movie. It is certainly going to be impossible to write a full evaluation of the film as I would usually be able to do with a typical film as this is not your typical film, and I don't mean that in a good way...at all. Over the past year or so I'd heard rumblings of what exactly Movie 43 was or what it was supposed to be. Naturally, the main thing we heard about it was that it contained an onslaught of Hollywood A-listers that were melded together to form some kind of rampant comedy that moves through its stars as fast as it does offensive jokes. Problem with the film is that it is trying way too hard and only succeeding once in a blue moon to really capture any genuinely funny moments. I won't lie in saying I was somewhat excited to see the film, as someone who enjoys mainstream comedy and this one in particular having seemingly no regard for what people might say no matter who it offended, sounded rather intriguing and fun. I can buy into that kind of thing and see having a great time with it but even more than being completely tasteless, Movie 43 is more than anything just dumb. With this ridiculously large, sprawling all-star cast you might expect there to have been some real incentive making each of them want to participate or feel attracted to the project and with a reported budget of only $6 million it certainly wasn't the money. What could it have been that drew in so many big-name actors and actresses an convinced them this was a good idea? We may never know because all we are left with is a steaming pile of unfunny droppings of underdeveloped sketches that wouldn't even make it onto a bad episode of Saturday Night Live.

THE CAMPAIGN Review

It was a tad bit disappointing when I realized that this summer there wouldn't be a collaboration between star Will Ferrell and director Adam Mckay. Since 2004 they have made a film every other year beginning with the minor masterpiece and now cult classic Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy. They have since followed up with hit after hit including Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys. This was the year for their return if they were going by any former schedule but it looks like things have gone a little off course in trying to settle a deal to make a sequel to that grand introduction to Ferrell we received eight years ago. Still, any Ferrell fan should be thankful as we at least have a film at all to go see this summer featuring our favorite man-child. Turns out, its a pretty darn funny one as well. While the news that The Campaign wouldn't be a Ferrell/McKay team-up was disheartening enough I was even more skeptical about the project when it was stated that director Jay Roach would be at the helm. Roach has a resume full of successful comedies including the three Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents, but then again he also made Dinner for Schmucks a couple of years ago. A film that had so much potential to be a great comedy but instead fell flat on its face. Thus, the reason I was so worried for The Campaign. It doesn't seem all that hard to make a funny movie when you seemingly have a bunch of funny people around, but that isn't necessarily the case. While The Campaign could have certainly been slightly more focused and inventive with its comedy it is an effective political satire and an all out comedy that regardless of how, had me laughing from beginning to end. It is, in a word: hilarious.

Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) and his family endure
some tough times in The Campaign.

If there was anything we knew we'd be able to count on going into this film it was that the team-up between Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis would promise well...something. It was clear from the previews that Galifianakis had worked up something special for his character of Marty Huggins while Ferrell was more or less playing his man-child schtick crossed with his impersonation of George Bush. Upon delving into the film it becomes more and more clear that these guys couldn't have done a better job of complimenting one another. It makes the whole thing work. Whether it be polishing their public personas, placing their seasoned knowledge or energized innocence into campaigning, or forgetting the whole point of what they're doing all of it for in the first place, it pretty much all works. They come at it from such different places and all of it gets to the point that it is so over the top we are basically seeing the behind the scenes antics of how ridiculous real-life campaign's of today have become. Granted, both Galifianakis's Huggins and Ferrell's Cam Brady are no doubt exaggerations of multiple real life inspirations the bottom line is the fact they will stoop to any low for the win, even if the job they will take on afterwards matters very little. It is about the image, the reputation. This is where the comedy clearly lies in the situation as Brady and Huggins try to one up each other while pointing out each others flaws to their voting audience. I liked that the film went over the top in almost every aspect, I like that they decided to set the film in the south, I even enjoyed the strong political commentary on how much money it takes to actually run one of these things. While I don't generally know much about the political game even I could take away the stabbing points that The Campaign is mocking.

Marty, Mitch (Jason Sudeikis), Tim (Dylan McDermott),
and Cam (Will Ferrell) face off against one another.

Still, as I sat there and enjoyed the film for the ridiculously vulgar comedy it provided me I became more and more impressed with the tone of the whole thing. I walked in expecting the movie to feel slightly rushed if not a little cheap. It seemed for such a big comedy starring two seasoned comics that the exposure for the film had ramped up rather late in the game and that there wasn't a ton of support behind the movie. Turns out what I at first thought might come to be weaknesses were what the film had in its corners all along. In those early days when first hearing of the project I mentioned I was worried that Roach and co. would lose themselves and his brand of comedy with two such actors combined with subject matter that was both ripe for satire and extremely timely. Little did I know Roach had recently directed more heavy-handed dramas for HBO that included the Sarah Palin inspired Game Change and the Bush/Gore film Recount. This combination of experience with both the subject matter and off-the-wall comedy shines throughout the film. This is clear from the beginning as big money runs everything; here in the form of the Motch brothers (a slyly used John Lithgow and Dan Akroyd) who are no doubt a send up of some actual filthy rich businessmen who are running the government or a certain party with their "influence".

The Motch brothers have, for years, backed Brady who knows how to spout words that sound good to the crowd while not actually meaning anything. Too bad he has a knack for keeping one too many mistresses as well and just before the election, where he usually runs unopposed, he leaves a rather explicit message on the wrong answering machine. This misstep creates the need for the Motch bros to bring in a candidate to oppose Brady. The best they can do is Marty Huggins, the son of a veteran (Brian Cox) who has strong ties to the Motch's. Galifianakis makes Huggins a squirrely and slightly odd guy who is so naive and innocent it is almost hurtful to watch as his assigned campaign manager Tim Wattley (a hilariously subtle Dylan McDermott) transforms him from this humble family man to a politician willing to do or say anything for the win. While Galifianakis makes this transformation seamlessly it is by way of his performance one of the best things about the film. He delivers the laughs, he keeps up the persona without drastically changing the character, but we see him become a different person. It is alarming, while at the same time hard not to laugh at. Which in many ways is all the more unsettling.

Cam Brady will stoop to any level to try and win.

While after a second or third viewing I might have a change of opinion on the film, for the time being I was pleasantly surprised not only by the amount of laughs I got from The Campaign, but also how sharp of a wit the overall film had. We know it is making fun of politics, heck the majority of us don't need comedians playing the politicians to laugh at the whole farce that has become the election process, but if anything this movie makes the pill easier to swallow. It would like to disguise itself as a rather standard Will Ferrell comedy but in reality, if we want to, there is more to look for here. I didn't have high expectations going in. I expected more Bewitched Will Ferrell than I did SNL-era Ferrell, but what we got was a well thought out, funny movie that really had everyone invested in it. There is nothing worse than a comedy where it feels like the makers have simply thrown together a story around two funny guys that they know will bring in the box office returns. As comedies have not exactly been landing record numbers lately (with the exception of Ted) it is nice to see a film where the people behind and in front of the camera are getting the same amount of satisfaction out of their work as they hope the audience will. There are small complaints here and there that one could make about The Campaign, but they are far outweighed by the positive attributes this film carries. You laugh, you learn a little, and you begin to wonder how close this all really is to reality.

        

THE CAMPAIGN Review

It was a tad bit disappointing when I realized that this summer there wouldn't be a collaboration between star Will Ferrell and director Adam Mckay. Since 2004 they have made a film every other year beginning with the minor masterpiece and now cult classic Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy. They have since followed up with hit after hit including Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys. This was the year for their return if they were going by any former schedule but it looks like things have gone a little off course in trying to settle a deal to make a sequel to that grand introduction to Ferrell we received eight years ago. Still, any Ferrell fan should be thankful as we at least have a film at all to go see this summer featuring our favorite man-child. Turns out, its a pretty darn funny one as well. While the news that The Campaign wouldn't be a Ferrell/McKay team-up was disheartening enough I was even more skeptical about the project when it was stated that director Jay Roach would be at the helm. Roach has a resume full of successful comedies including the three Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents, but then again he also made Dinner for Schmucks a couple of years ago. A film that had so much potential to be a great comedy but instead fell flat on its face. Thus, the reason I was so worried for The Campaign. It doesn't seem all that hard to make a funny movie when you seemingly have a bunch of funny people around, but that isn't necessarily the case. While The Campaign could have certainly been slightly more focused and inventive with its comedy it is an effective political satire and an all out comedy that regardless of how, had me laughing from beginning to end. It is, in a word: hilarious.