Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
THE CAMPAIGN (2012)Movie Reviews
Comedy about two CEOs who try to oust a long-term congressman by putting up a rival candidate, the naive director of the local Tourism Center. Cast:Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Katherine La Nasa, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Brian CoxDirector:Jay RoachRelease Date:August 10, 2012DVD Release:October 30, 2012From:Warner Bros.Rating:RLength:1 hr. 25 min.
The Campaign (2012) played to good not great reviews. • Moira Macdonald wrote in the Seattle Times, "...genuinely funny... For every joke that lands, there's another that falls flat, but 'The Campaign' has the dual advantages of being both timely and brief." More Reviews Below...
The Campaign (2012) Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...silly and raunchy... Both candidates are nuts, giving the actors plenty of runway to land dirty jokes (nobody curses a blue streak better than Will Ferrell)."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 109 words, 08/09/12
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...mostly but not entirely on.... Four minutes of Ferrell as Bush on SNL is just right, but 85-minutes of Cam Brady feels like a lot, even with a strong supporting cast..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 889 words, 08/09/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "The mudslinging escalates (er, sinks?) to uproarious levels, with babies and the beloved dog from 'The Artist' among the casualties."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 131 words, 08/09/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...truly, scathingly topical... a bombs-away lampoon of the contemporary political process, and damned if the movie isn't just funny but smart."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 08/10/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...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."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/10/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The filmmakers aimed to make a smart sendup of the political process, but 'The Campaign' only occasionally hits its cynical mark."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 08/10/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Would a Republican enjoy this movie as much as a Democrat? Possibly. Party affiliations mean nothing to the characters, nor does the plot approach them as such."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 08/10/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: EXCELLENT(cg) "...exceptionally good at being cynically smart about the horrors it's portraying, and gleefully vulgar and absurd about wringing laughs out of those horrors."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 08/08/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Too soft and silly to be satire, too upbeat to be a cautionary tale... the movie is studiously inoffensive and thoroughly chicken-hearted."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 922 words, 08/10/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a very funny satire... This, folks, is our legislative branch after being hit by the stupid stick. Which is really just one click away from reality."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 08/10/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...doesn't leave you with the sort of sour, sinking feeling imparted by, say, 'That's My Boy,' or the second 'Hangover' film. But it's weak and witlessly crude."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 08/10/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "This big, broad, laugh-out-loud farce isn't in the business of deep swipes or sharp insights. Its main message is that politics pretty much makes fun of itself."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 08/10/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The invention in 'The Campaign' began and ended with the premise.... There are good lines.... the biggest laughs come from the crudest material..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 08/10/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Would a Republican enjoy this movie as much as a Democrat? Possibly. Party affiliations mean nothing to the characters, nor does the plot approach them as such."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 08/10/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...basically a footnote, a goof on our broken political system that's good for a certain novelty, but as a challenge to the dominant order? It's ultimately impotent."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 08/08/12
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...loud and profane... It's also occasionally funny... sure to find an audience among that segment of the electorate whose intelligence it so mercilessly insults."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 472 words, 08/10/12
Siri Agrell, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...could have easily failed, joining a long list of unfunny political comedies, from 'Dave' to 'Man of the Year.' But the movie has political savvy as well as comedic chops."(See all of Siri Agrell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 08/10/12
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Not all the jokes hit, but some of them - like a family confessional, or a hunting scene, or an ongoing gag involving a sassy maid - are deliriously fun."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 08/10/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...prefers silly, outre jokes and sight gags to a truly penetrating critique of partisan politics that has gone hopelessly off the rails."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 08/10/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "Relies on improv-y riffing and watch-them-coming-from-down-the-block-and-around-the-corner sight gags... intermittently amusing, but more often just interminable."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 08/10/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...too timid to aim a satirical shiv at the political jugular... 'The Campaign' wants to entertain everyone by offending no one."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 08/10/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a low-blow farce that gives each of these clowns a party nomination and some media coverage.... stuffed with funny performers..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 08/10/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as with any self-respecting political satire, there's an agenda lurking behind the comic mania: 'The Campaign' also makes a couple of oh-so-serious points..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 08/10/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...genuinely funny... For every joke that lands, there's another that falls flat, but 'The Campaign' has the dual advantages of being both timely and brief."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 08/10/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...fitfully funny... mixes its most damning barbs willy-nilly with frathouse humor and softens the whole thing with saccharine Hollywood storytelling."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 08/10/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Fortunately Ferrell, Galifianakis and director Jay Roach (of the 'Austin Powers' movies) go off message with some crude humor."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 08/10/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a down and very dirty political affair allowing moviegoers to laugh off their frustrations with the real thing.... Why can't life be like the movies?"(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 08/09/12
Adam Graham, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "...disappointing.... any episode of 'The Daily Show' has a better read on the American political circus than 'The Campaign.' It's an average Will Ferrell comedy, nothing more."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 441 words, 08/10/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...basically a footnote, a goof on our broken political system that's good for a certain novelty, but as a challenge to the dominant order? It's ultimately impotent."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 08/08/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...politics is a dirty and ridiculous business, and 'The Campaign' unveils that truth with enough humor to make it bearable -- and hilarious."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 08/08/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...a battle of two kinds of idiocy, and the film's scatalogical pratfalls and crude lampooning of the obvious overwhelm its faintly liberal bleeding heart."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 08/09/12
Keith Phipps, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "There's heart to the film, and to the characters, both brought to life with the complete commitment of two funny men seemingly immune to movie-star vanity."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 08/09/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "...seems to be taking up a splatter approach to gags, not caring which might stick. This holds doubly true for the gags dressed up as the candidates' wives..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 783 words, 08/10/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...frequently funny, it also feels disconcertingly and disappointingly mild, ignoring all sorts of specific, choice ammunition... As a goofball comedy, it generally works..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 925 words, 08/08/12
Bill Weber, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Nearly all of it registers as desperate mayhem, not comedy.... the drollest bits hearken back to Jay Roach's 'Austin Powers' days..."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 08/09/12
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Not all the jokes hit, but some of them - like a family confessional, or a hunting scene, or an ongoing gag involving a sassy maid - are deliriously fun."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 08/10/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Roach blunts the film's satirical edge with a last-minute attempt to swap cynicism for idealism... Otherwise, audiences should howl with laughter all the way through..."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 08/10/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...settles for sketch humor, standard-brand raunch and toothless slapstick that trivializes everything it touches... puerile gagfest has little reach and less grasp."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 08/10/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Too soft and silly to be satire, too upbeat to be a cautionary tale... the movie is studiously inoffensive and thoroughly chicken-hearted."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 922 words, 08/10/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...both funny and undisciplined, a political satire that works best when the commentary sags and the crass absurdism escalates... mild..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 08/09/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Simply taken as a broad character comedy, 'The Campaign' definitely has its moments.... But as political satire, the film has only hackneyed notions to express."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,285 words, 08/12/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD "Roach, who also counts such lowbrow laffers as 'Austin Powers' and 'Meet the Fockers' on his resume, manages to keep things broad without sacrificing smarts."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 08/04/12
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...a wobbly political satire that flip-flops chaotically between clever and crass, never finding a sturdy comedic footing.... neither sufficiently sharp nor substantial..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 08/04/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "Timely, always rude, occasionally funny, but seldom witty or insightful... An exercise in a uniquely American brand of lowbrow comedy..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 08/08/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Too soft and silly to be satire, too upbeat to be a cautionary tale... the movie is studiously inoffensive and thoroughly chicken-hearted."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 922 words, 08/10/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...settles for sketch humor, standard-brand raunch and toothless slapstick that trivializes everything it touches... puerile gagfest has little reach and less grasp."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 08/10/12
17.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Campaign (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 17.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Campaign (2012) (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Campaign (2012)'s reviews cover 88.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,489 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 542 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 8.9 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Campaign (2012)'s reviews on average broke 8.9 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Campaign (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Campaign (2012) (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
