"The Campaign": Political insiders see some truth in Ferrell, Galifianakis movie

Patti Perret/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- At an early screening of the new movie "The Campaign," Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., couldn't help but cringe a few times when the rest of the audience was laughing.

Perhaps people were laughing a little too hard.

"I wonder if people actually think members of Congress are like that, because it was way over the top," Edwards said afterwards.

The new comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis is filled with the sort of bawdy jokes and sight gags the actors are known for, but it also serves up some blistering commentary on the current state of our political system. At a pre-screening this week in Washington, D.C., it was difficult at times to know what made the audience laugh more.

CBSNews.com sat down with Edwards, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and GOP strategist Trey Hardin, senior vice president at the firm VOX Global, to watch the movie and discuss how congressional elections turned into a joke. (Click player at left to watch full report.)

The movie's prime focus is the overwhelming influence of corporate money in politics. The strong point of view shouldn't be too surprising in a film produced and directed by Jay Roach, who, along with movies like "Meet the Parents", directed HBO's "Game Change," the story of Sarah Palin's vice presidential nomination, as well as HBO's "Recount," which focused on the 2000 presidential election.

This film focuses on the fictional 2012 congressional race in North Carolina's fictional 14th district. Ferrell's character, Democrat Cam Brady, expects to slide into a fifth term -- and become a future prospective vice presidential pick -- with no competition. Not even sex scandals can stop him until the Motch brothers, played by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd (and obviously modeled after the real-life Koch brothers), find a candidate they can manipulate in the unsuspecting oddball Marty Huggins, played by Galifianakis.

The storyline isn't far from reality -- super PACs have propelled the unlikeliest of candidates to victory. And while a few hundred thousand dollars -- or even a few million -- may not make much difference in a presidential race, it can be huge in a congressional election. According to the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, super PACs spent $65 million in the 2010 campaign cycle.

"If this [movie] isn't a commercial for public financing and totally abolishing corporate control of the process, I don't know what is," Kucinich said.

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[American72]

Has anyone seen the movie 2016? CBS News, report on this movie, please. Be fair.

[BrendanSpaar]

At the end of the day this is just a fictional comedy and should be treated as such. Those that read too much into it probably have a guilty concious. It's true that money=speech these days and those with the gold make the rules. It doesn't matter who's better for this country anymore, whoever is richer is going to win it all. - Brendan Spaar

[miltondeano]

The Koch brothers are not shocked by this movie?

[takacrat]

You promise that you wouldn't come

[1988JAck]

We have a Republican Senator here in Wisconsin who I swear is WIll Ferrell's character. he's clueless, does nothing, but looks good.

[retiredgustav]

We have a congress made up of honest politicians, when they are bought, they stay bought.

[Filmguy870]

In a country where corporations are people, anything is possible. We live in a land of possibilities! Aint that speshul????

[marychgo]

The story's pretty thin...and the comments don't open, no matter how I click them....