Last Night at The Campaign
Last night my heterolife partner Murdoc wanted to take me to see The Campaign, the new Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis film. I’ll come back to my thoughts on it after talking about my rather strange theater experience which was filled with bros, old tooting security guards who talk during the movie and more.
We sneak food into movies. Yes I know you’re not supposed to do this but let’s face it. I’m broke and for 10 bucks I snagged 3 butterfingers, a bag of hawaiian kettle chips, 2 big bags of sour patch kids and rainbow twizzlers. It was quite the haul to smuggle in my cargo shorts… but I batman’d that shit into the theater no problem.
We got our seats, arriving quite early to be honest and the only other people in the theater were three loud mouth douche bags. Bros to be precise. Bros, if you’re reading this, not everyone you try to talk to wants to talk to you back. Trying to make awkward conversation to make your friends laugh is fucking lame. You’re alienating and awkward and now we hate you.
Right away this guy, who is easily 14-15 rows back from us starts yelling to get our attention. Why? We don’t know you, and we’re older than you. What is this? They start to ask us about our preference in music, saying how much they love progressive speed metal… I don’t know what that is because I don’t really listen to metal and if I do, I don’t categorize it. We give short, one word answers and they keep going with questions and statements like “Hey do you both have iphones?” “Yep,” we reply “OH that’s awesome” they sarcastically say back. Why is that something to be snarky about? Two grown men both use iPhones so that’s something to laugh about?
Then comes “Are you guys in college?” I don’t know how to respond to this other than the truth in a one word answer “Nope,” I shoot back quickly “Oh why not? I’m in college.” to which Murdoc replies in a very staccato rhythm “OH. HOW. GREAT. THAT. MUST. BE. FOR. YOU.” This threw them off.
Did they really want me to say “No I’m not in college because I’m turn 29 in a few days and if I was still in college there’d be something horribly wrong with my learning capabilities or I’d just be getting into college late or returning and either way there are a billion judgements you could make about me at that point…” Why would I do that?
But better yet why were three nobody college students, one so fat he took up two seats, the others in basketball shots and pajamas trying to be confrontational little shits? Why is that a thing for them? Who told them it’s ok to be like that and how do they get by in life trying to provoke a reaction by being snarky?
Luckily the theater started to fill, the movie started and we were enjoying it.. for a while. Then my attention turned to the old security guard who decided to walk in part way through the movie.
I understand his job must be boring… he’s easily in his late 60s to early 70s and isn’t quite in the best shape to be working any kind of security or guarding anything. So he comes in around 1am and as soon as he sits and settles in he farts. He just lets one rip, which made me laugh really loud. Then this guy yammer on through the next 30 minutes despite sitting alone. Now normally I’d be annoyed but he was hilarious.
But as for the film… not great. The first 2/3rds of the movie are rock solid comedy with two really strong characters from Will and Zach. Their performances were great, even if Zach’s Marty Huggins really is just his character Seth Galifianakis who is his fake twin brother.
There are a lot of great moments, big laughs, outlandish ideas and some decent political humor and then it just comes off the rails completely. The last third of the movie is without laughs, good ideas and gets so crazy that you start disliking both characters. The plot has to make a dramatic switch because they can’t figure out how to deal with what they’ve set up. I feel like there’s a gem in the movie involving good intentions being corrupted by big money but that message is lost among the dick jokes and foul language. Not that I have a problem with either, but the ending is such a deflated feeling that it feels like “That’s it?”
In fact the last scene of the movie feels like it should have come after the credits and involves one of the worst translight back drops I’ve ever seen. I’d have had just as good of an experience watching this with friends as I did in the theater because while it’s god to hear a theater laugh with you, I was still there with just one friend and seeing it with 5 or so people that I really like would have been a bit better. That doesn’t fix the horrible ending of course.
Oh also this movie has an insane set of cameo characters that I really enjoyed. I will give them props for that.
