On Blu-ray, The Campaign looks exactly the way we’ve come to expect recent movies to look in high definition. The 1080p transfer, framed at 1.85:1, is sharp as a tack. Colors pop, fine detail is impressive—pretty much everything about the transfer is right on the money. Also essentially flawless is the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. Being a dialogue-driven comedy, this is hardly demo-worthy audio. But it doesn’t disappoint in any area that counts. The surround channels, while not taxed, efficiently deliver atmospheric sound such as crowd noise. The dialogue is what matters most here, and at no point does it present any problems.
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Not much here in the way of supplemental material. There’s about 15 minutes of deleted scenes (which also appear as the sole extra on the included standard DVD). “Line-o-Rama” is a short montage of various actors trying out different improvised lines. This actually underlines a potential problem that may have at least partially sabotaged the film: indulgence. Write funny dialogue, don’t rely on the actors to improvise endlessly and hope something sticks. Of course, with guys like Ferrell and Galifianakis, many of these ad-libs are very funny. It’s just that they work better in smaller doses, not tons of them piled on top of each other. The gag reel serves up the standard selection of flubs.
The Campaign has plenty of laughs throughout its brisk 96-minute running time. That’s the extended cut, the only one I’ve seen, so I can’t comment on what was added to the 85-minute theatrical cut. It’s crude as all get-out, definitely earning its R rating. It also elicits laughs often than not, ultimately the only standard of measurement that means anything when it comes to comedies.
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Article comments
1 - Tim
When I saw The Campaign received a %66 on Rotten Tomatoes, I ordered it instantly. Critics have a natural bias against comedies (particularly ones that star Will Ferrell) so I thought the flick must be pretty dang good. Turns out, it was! I highly recommend this one if you like Will Ferrell stuff. If you don't like Will Ferrell stuff, you'll hate this.