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Smarmy and unscrupulous congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is the ideal pawn for bigwig CEOs the Motch brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow), to use in their plans to sell out North Carolina to the Chinese.

Well, that is until one outrageous scandal sees Brady slipping in the polls, forcing them to draft the loveable town dag Monty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) to be the next frontrunner. What follows is an onslaught of mudslinging and dirty tricks that would put the most despicable of pollies to shame.


Eventually something’s gotta give and in this case, the one-upmanship gags start to feel a bit repetitive. However, even with the recurring jokes and predictable moments, this political satire is good, rollicking fun.

Ferrell is an old hat when it comes to portraying dodgy and daft politicians and there’s definitely a bit of his Saturday Night Live George Bush impersonation shining through his Brady. And after the Hangover films, it’s refreshing to see Galifianakis play victimised instead of victimiser.

The film delivers funny, fairly well-rounded characters, a slew of great cameos and hilarious I-feel-naughty-for-laughing-at-that jokes while also making an almost poignant point about modern-day politics in the US.

Democrat or Republican – in the end it comes down to who’s got the money.

Verdict: 3 stars

Good for: Adding joy to your hangover Sunday through politically incorrect jokes


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