There is no Will Ferrell “type.” He usually plays doofuses, but they come in all shapes: crazy, square, creepy, upbeat, stoic, capable or completely deluded.

In The Campaign, he’s paired with Zach Galifianakis, a comic actor whose go-to persona, “effeminate weirdo,” keeps him employed. He has this “type” and clings to it. To watch the movie is to see these different comedy styles, Ferrell’s free-wheeling, unpredictable assault on common sense, and Galifianakis’s simple-minded fussiness competing for your love.

They were born to be in a movie together. The fact that it’s about the American election cycle, the most ridiculous professional pursuit any adult can participate in, is a good idea made practical. No studio would’ve turned down the pitch.

Ferrell plays Cam Brady, an oversexed George Dubya-type congressman planning to run unopposed in his next election. Two wealthy industrialists planning on “buying” Brady’s district, the “Moch” brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd), see Galifianakis’s Marty Huggins as the perfect puppet candidate to upset Brady’s streak. Huggins is a family man, personable, a little odd, not particularly worldly – in other words, ideal for politics in 2012.

After setting up these broad characters The Campaign doesn't play dirty. The Moch brothers' influence only works because their real-life inspirations, David and Charles Koch, helped pave the way for greater corporate influence in American elections. But aside from pointing this out a couple times, the movie doesn’t have much to say about “issues.” Director Jay Roach, having made the bitter political comedy-drama Recount, goes out of his way here to avoid attacking anyone's beliefs.

So as funny as it often is, the movie coasts. I guess Ferrell and Galifianakis know exactly what their fans want, and working under the reliable Roach (who kicked off the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents franchises, then bailed before they turned to shit), the pair would've had a hard time screwing it up. The jokes come from their natural appeal; Ferrell charms with nonsensical self-confidence (“My hair could lift a car off a baby”) and Galifiankis prances around in a deluded stupor. As both actors have proven, there’s something inherently funny about both of them, in appearance and demeanour, but like all good politicians, they sidestep any real challenge.

Director: Jay Roach
Warner Bros., 85 minutes
Rating: 3/5