Director Jay Roach of “Game Change” fame isn’t done trying to influence the upcoming presidential election quite yet.
Roach’s movie eviscerating Sarah Palin with lies and misstatements aired on HBO over the weekend. But Roach’s next project promises to be just as politically charged.
“The Campaign” casts Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival politicians who will do just about anything to win the election.
The press release for the recently-wrapped comedy gives a hint of what’s to come:
In “The Campaign,” when long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.
Ultra-wealthy CEOs, you say? Three guesses which candidate the film wants to win, and the first two don’t count.
The folks behind the movie, from Ferrell to Roach and co-screenwriter Chris Henchy, have an established track record of liberal content. Roach directed the Gore-pandering “Recount” as well as “Game Change.” Ferrell recently co-chaired a fundraiser for President Barack Obama and starred in a one-man Broadway show lampooning George W. Bush. Henchy co-wrote “The Other Guys,” the Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg comedy which squeezed in some Wall Street bashing between the tepid yuks.
The film’s release date – Aug. 10 – places it smack in the heart of the 2012 election campaign. Any chance Roach and co. will neglect an opportunity to slam CEOs, Republicans or both this summer?