WORDS Tom Lenihan

In an election year where the two candidates have not provoked much social or political satire comes a film that many wanted to turn the mirror on American politics. Although Jay Roach’s previous comedies such as Austin Powers and Meet the Parents never displayed much subtlety, they didn’t fail to make their audiences laugh. Roach then embarked on another journey as his work since has consisted of chronicles of the political trail in the now omnipresent media age. Recount and Game Change were two lively political dramas he made for HBO that managed to not keep themselves too serious and in the process received high ratings and acclaim in the form of Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Director’s Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. It’s been a long time since Mike Myers and the International Man of Mystery had their delirious and suitably ludicrous take on geo-politics.

Then, a hilarious trailer release displaying both of the director’s sensibilities and common themes: what it means to be a politician in this era and quirky characters in slapstick situations. Throw in the current generation’s leading comedic actors in Will Ferrell and Zach Galifiniakis, and we may be able to proclaim this the comedy of the year. All it takes to dispel that kind of a push is an hour and a half of two performers, orchestrated by one director, all refusing to step outside their comfort zone.

The central problem is the film’s struggle between whether this is Ferrell and Alan from The Hangover running for public office, or the story of two polished hicks from the South and their sights on Congress. Neither is fleshed out and both are overly familiar. I don’t expect subtlety, but I do expect to laugh or at least be entertained. Unfortunately the deadpan routine falls flat, as over the top antics and outrageous wisecracks desperately attempt to ascertain some sort of shock value. So much for “liberal Hollywood”. No lampooning of the powers that be or insight behind the political curtain means this is more of a gimmick than a great comedy. It’s the same jokes rehashed into the medium of the political arena and does nothing to turn any issue on its head. Surely there’s a comedy out there in the works that tackles the pretensions of political performance and how that is covered by mainstream media. It’s a shame because this is the best cast we might see for a while that can accomplish that task.

This is a film that won’t take shots at those in high office. This is a film about how small-town dopes with delusions of grandeur succeed at reaching positions of power. We’ve heard it all before, Bush is long gone. This is a film ten years too late.