The CampaignMovie Reviews


So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 50 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Perhaps the best thing about the film is that it doesn't let those other players in the political process off the hook: the voters. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli

    The resultant spoofery is nonpartisan, or at least vague - we never learn which of these flesh-pressing idiots is the Republican and which is the Democrat - and raucous in its send-ups of the moral, financial and sexual peccadilloes of the common political animal. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The jokes never go deep, the toothless bites at the system leave no marks. It's only the wild-card energy of Ferrell and Galifianakis that keeps you on the ticket. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    "It's a mess" is the campaign slogan of Marty Huggins, played by Galifianakis. He's referring to the state of government. But he might as well be describing the movie in which he co-stars. Read full review

  • 60
    Movieline |

    Ferrell and Galifianakis both do what they've proven they can do so well in the past, while McDermott, clad in all black, is surprisingly good in a comedic role. Read full review

  • 60
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Like the politicians it skewers, it knows the real winner is the stupidity, stupid. Read full review

  • 50
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Relying on improv-y riffing and watch-them-coming-from-down-the-block-and-around-the-corner sight gags, The Campaign is intermittently amusing, but more often just interminable. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    It's just another happily idiotic Will Ferrell comedy, ably directed by Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents," "Dinner for Schmucks") and tossing its bawdy jokes at the side of the barn. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    While leads Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are amusingly on point as a pair of mud-slinging contenders for Congress, the platform is a wobbly political satire that flip-flops chaotically between clever and crass, never finding a sturdy comedic footing. Read full review

  • 20
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Instead of biting wit, though, the movie settles for sketch humor, standard-brand raunch and toothless slapstick that trivializes everything it touches. Read full review

View more reviews for The Campaign on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Comedic superstars aim their raunchy satire at politics.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Campaign, which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, is a raunch-fest from beginning to end, starting with a scene that shows a family with young kids listening to a very lewd, graphic answering machine message. There's some nudity -- a woman's nipple is visible in a social setting -- and plenty of jokes about sex and a married man's indiscretions. Expect lots of swearing, too, including various versions of "f--k," plus "s--t," "d--k," and more. Still, the subject matter -- a congressional election and the dirty campaigning that leads up to it -- is a gold mine for comedy, and it may leave you thinking about our electoral process in general, too.
  • Families can talk about the main characters. Are they intended to be role models? Do you think they would resonate with people in real life? Which one would you vote for?
  • What is The Campaign saying about the American electoral system? Do you think candidates are manufactured or supported by rich people or companies that most voters aren't aware of?
  • What's the appeal of over-the-top raunchy comedies? What audience are they aimed at? Do they succeed?
The good stuff
  • message true1 Positive messages: The message is a bit muddled (and obscured by some of the over-the-top content), but essentially, it's that unless you know yourself and have the fortitude to withstand temptations and pressure from others, you'll be led astray from the path you once envisioned for yourself.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Both Cam and Marty behave rottenly, but in different ways: Cam is crass and boorish; Marty is fake and calculating. Still, they both find their way in the end.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Lots of cartoonish "fighting" between the two leads, with them swatting and yelling at each other. A man shoots another in the leg. Another man throws things around in a temper tantrum.
  • sex false4 Sexy stuff: Racy, with tons of sex jokes. One character leaves a very lewd message on an answering machine that's heard by children. A few sex scenes with exaggerated movements and sounds. A woman is seen in public with her nipple visible. One candidate thinks it's a good idea to release a sex tape as part of his campaign. A woman sleeps with a man who's not her husband. A tween talks about feeling up a man's wife.
  • language false4 Language: Frequent use of very colorful language, including "f--k," "motherf----er," "s--t," "d--k," "p---y," "ass," "damn," "a--hole," "hell," "crap," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," "oh my God," and more.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Labels/brands seen or mentioned include Google, MSNBC, Ruby Tuesday, Goldman Sachs, Under Armor, Honey Nut Cheerios, CNN, Facebook, Scrabble, Budweiser, Panasonic, Red Bull, and Yamaha.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of over-the-top stunts played for laughs, including one scene in which one man gets another drunk on hard liquor on purpose, then calls the cops on him when he lets him drive drunk. A few other boozing scenes in social situations. A woman smokes a cigarette in secret.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Exclusive Features

Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interviews Will Ferrell on not slipping into a George W. Bush impersonation, Zach Galifianakis on having difficulty speaking, Jay Roach and Dylan McDermott on working with the duo. Also, what does Caucus Claus give out?