"The Campaign" review roundup
(CBS News) The new Will Ferrell-Zach Galifinakis comedy, "The Campaign," opens in theaters today and has received somewhat mixed reviews.
While some critics find the movie laugh-out-loud funny, others say some of the slapstick gags missed the mark.
Pictures: "The Campaign" premiere
In the film, two CEOs seize an opportunity to oust long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) by putting up a rival candidate Marty Huggins (Galifinakis) to gain influence over their North Carolina district.
The comedy has received a 64 percent review on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with critics taking up positions on both sides of the fence.
Here's what some of the them had to say:
Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post: "In a way, 'The Campaign' is the comic side of the same coin occupied by last year's 'The Ides of March' -- a respectable piece of mainstream entertainment but one that fell short of the insight and ambition required to be a movie that singularly captured its time."
Kyle Smith of the New York Post: : "This movie is single-handedly causing a major rise in our mirth deficit. It's so bad, I'm declaring a laugh emergency."
A.O. Scott of the New York Times: :"My point is that the movie, which is sometimes very funny in the usual zany, pop-surrealist sketch-comedy manner, is studiously inoffensive and thoroughly chicken-hearted. Punching a baby -- a bit featured in the trailers -- is shockingly funny but not exactly brave. The film's timidity places it squarely in a tradition of Hollywood anti-political comedy that has flourished at least since Mr. Smith went to Washington."
Peter Debruge of Variety: "Before the 2012 presidential election has a chance to get really nasty, "The Campaign" vigorously swoops in to satirize how low things can go between a pair of rival congressional candidates."