June 11, 2025 • 48 mins
Funny Men Slapping Babies
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This week on Shelf Warmers, Sam and Andrew dive deep into politics as they discuss the thrilling debates between Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis. Will this film be voted off the shelf or will it be left behind, never to see office again?
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Edited by: Andrew Alexander
Instagram: @shelfwarmers.podcast
Next Week's Episode: Gangster Squad
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
All right, welcome to Shell Formers.
I'm Sam. And I'm Andrew.
This is the podcast where we watch and discuss movies from
roughly 2012 to 2020. Also known as the pump and dump
period for Hollywood. Not exactly a golden age, but
definitely a time of high fertility for Tinseltown.
So fertile, in fact, that we didn't see many of the movies
that came out. So if they're good, they're bad
(00:33):
or just, man, we're going to cover it all.
If we heard about it and didn't watch it, well, now we're going
to. That's right, And today we're
covering 2012's The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach
Galifianakis, directed by. Jay Roach previously mentioned
the podcast as a as a director who made a lot of comedies and
then now is doing weird like dramas, I guess at this point
(00:55):
like political drum shells, someshell the campaign double
feature. Yeah, he like pivoted.
He pivoted hard pivot, hard pivot.
And I guess that's kind of like the new thing to do because no
one makes comedies anymore. But it's it's so much more the
boring option. Like for example, what if Mel
Brooks made Young Frankenstein and then was like.
(01:15):
All the presidents. Know that was exactly what I was
going to say. That's exactly the movie I was
going to say, which is like. Imagine that though.
He did somewhat, you know, he produced The Elephant Man, but
also he kind of used his name tolet people who actually want to
make more serious films produce and get their chances, like
David Lynch. People forget.
Yeah, but he would still make his comedies up into the 90s.
(01:36):
But just that that that would have sucked if he was just like,
you know what I want to do Kramer VS Kramer, I want to do
Serpico. I'm like, yeah, no, Mel Brooks,
like keep making your silliness.Like people that are funny.
I was saying they should stick to it, but they should like, you
know, that is a gift in order tomake it's.
Hard. Really hard to make a comedy.
Supposed to be like like directing a comedy movie is
really hard because it's. Hard to make people it's.
(01:59):
One thing to like be like a performer in a comedy movie, but
to be like steering the ship andalso, you know, sometimes having
bit roles, supporting roles in the movies.
For that, I often think about how do half these actors who we
grew up watching like Seth Morris and Rob Corddry and all
these actors who were of these big comedians in the 2000 tens
and 2000 and really I guess since the 90s who were always
(02:23):
probably seen and making money off these bit parts and studio
comedies. How are they making money
anymore? Because they're not getting cast
in dramas. You know, like a Rob Huebel and
Rob Riggle and all these guys who were always supporting cast
like 21 Jump St. and all these different types of comedies.
Maybe they tour or just have enough stowed away.
(02:43):
I guess if you're like, you know, Chris Parnell or like, you
know the Fred Armisen who were so.
Many, by the way, looks great today.
Taking incredible, incredible care of himself.
Like it looks better now than 20years ago.
I. Think that's the SNL effect, I
think. You don't have time to work out
and you're eating like shit and you're up all night so you just
look terrible. But now he's like a father and
(03:05):
like, he runs every day like. That so he's fine.
He's chilling. Well, did you know this movie
came out August 10th, 2012? Yeah, I think I did.
I also did some research for this podcast, but yeah, tell me
about it. So what did you see this
weekend? Do you know off the top of your
head? Because if none I have a list I.
Have a memory of where I was thesummer of 2012.
(03:28):
I also do Jersey Shore. I was a little.
Up north in Michigan. Oh.
Yeah, yeah. Why were you in Michigan?
Calf My family is from Michigan,did you know that?
I actually do not think I knew that about you.
It's four years or five years offriendship.
I don't think I've ever come up before.
Yeah, I spent my summers in Michigan until I was like 14.
(03:49):
I was kind of wish I had that, like had that, like, you know,
like when you're in your 60s, looking back in your life, like
when I spent my summers in Vermont, my summers in Arizona
and I'm like, I was just in Jersey the whole third time.
Well, it was like, yeah, it was like the whole summer.
It was like 2 weeks stretches. Oh OK, so you lied to me then.
But I I went consistently every summer.
That's like that's like that's like there's somebody saying
(04:10):
like, yeah, like I'm a New Yorker.
I moved there when I was 26. I think you can.
You can adopt The New Yorker. Moniker.
I think you live in New York. I don't think you're from from,
I don't think you're from New York.
I think that's kind of a whole part of the identity.
But you're a New Yorker. I, I, I think if you live in New
York for 10 years, you're a New Yorker.
No, that's what you think. You live in New York, but you're
(04:32):
not a New Yorker. It depends where in New York.
Oh, interesting. Oh, scenario, be an elitist now.
Well, if you live in like a penthouse in Manhattan, you're
after moving there when you're like 30 because you're like a
Wall Street guy. Like, like, you're not in New
York. But I guess if you like.
But if you're hustling in the city for 10/15/20 years, you
(04:54):
don't think you've earned New Yorker if you've made it no in
the concrete jungle. I don't think so.
I think that we will always be people from Jersey.
Well, I guess Jersey guys, yeah.We're still Jersey Boy anyway.
I'm in the same way that like, you know, like if you go to LA,
you're not really from LA. Like it's kind of a transplant
city. True.
You're now like a, you know. Well, I know what I saw this
weekend. Yeah, what's that?
The Bourne Legacy, I was big, I mean big on Jeremy Renner.
(05:20):
I well, I'm just a big Hawkeye guy in general.
And that, that I think made me convince myself for like 5 years
that Jeremy Renner was one of the greatest actors of all time.
Good actor going wrong. Were you particularly impressed
with his Hawkeye work? No, but I loved Hawkeye so much.
That didn't get overshadowed. Like I like, I remember like
being like 13 and I was like I got to watch the Herlock.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Renner, I was like, well,
(05:42):
he's better than Matt Damon. He's like, he's the coolest guy
alive now. I have very mixed opinions on
Jeremy Renner, but I saw Bourne opening weekend I was so excited
for. It, that's crazy.
I was not dialled into the Bourne franchise until later,
and then I was kind of like. I don't know if I've seen
another Bourne movie, if I'm going to be honest.
Maybe we'll end up watching Jason Bourne on this.
(06:05):
That'd be a good picture on thisshow.
But I remember in the trailer and there, like that moment,
it's Jason Bourne. There's Jesus Christ, it's Jason
Bourne. And then there's like that crazy
punch, right? It's like that steel punch. 59
Matt Damon like like just walks up to he's like a huge boxer and
drops him in one punch. Maybe he could do it after like
6 beers at a Boston vibe. But I don't know if Jason
(06:27):
Bourne's drive, I don't know if he's dropping a six foot five
guy, but that's like I can take an Affleck in one punch.
That's not going to happen. I'd like, we're like, going to
give him a wedgie for that. To be a family on the wall with
those two. And just see them have sex with
each other, right? Because.
Because that's what they've done.
At least hand stuff. At least hand stuff.
So the campaign, I'm kind of curious what your memories are,
(06:50):
presidential campaigns. I do remember the fact that
George W Bush was president. You know, really I have memories
of that because he was president, I think until I was
like in first or second grade. So I was like aware of who the
president was somewhat through school.
But I really remember, like the Obama administration watching
the inauguration on TV when I was 7.
Definitely. I mean, I don't know if I have
memories of George Bush as president, because I don't.
(07:11):
Like memories of him, but I remember like knowing he was the
president. I remember like the huge ass
TV's we used to have with the huge backs, like sitting on my
parents dresser in their bedroom.
And it was the Democratic debate, Yeah, with Hillary and
Barack, President Obama. Sorry.
Yeah. And.
We're saying lock her up still. Even then I had like this
(07:33):
incline you were. Like you were like check her
emails but I. Just remember you were like my
dad telling like that is Barack Obama and he will be the next
president. Wow, that tells you where my
household was. I won't say who my mom would
have won't. But that was just an early
memory. I was like, like my earliest
political memories are this guy Obama is going to be.
(07:54):
He was. Charming man, he's charismatic.
Heck yeah. He was well hope.
My father was a Republican mayorin our town from 2008, 2012.
So he was elected at the same time as Obama.
Oh, really? Yeah.
So yes, same first term, but during that time was also the
star of Chris Christie. So Chris Christie at some point
started to campaign in our town.I've met Chris Christie like
(08:16):
many times. Like I, like I met his kids.
Good hang. Tough hang.
He took up a room, if you know what I mean by that.
Because he's. Well literally and figuratively,
like his presence was felt. I remember his kid like tried to
hang out with me and my brother and he was kind of annoying so
we so we like vaguely bullied him maybe.
(08:36):
Oh my God, when they when they were annoying kids and you had
your group of kids, I was not afraid to outcast that.
They also like it's my brother and I like we don't.
We're not really looking for a third friend.
Yeah, there's no vacancy. Here I felt bad, but also I was
like, I'm not trying to be friends with Chris Christie
kids. Even Christie Step Hall, well
remember he cancelled Halloween.He did.
(08:57):
He's not a nice guy. Well, no, I mean, my memories of
him in my the adults I was around were like, he's cutting
the funding to schools. Teachers are going to be fucked
because of him. And I was like, whoa, that's
that's serious. Because when you're a kid, your
whole life is teachers and school.
Like I remember, you know, seeing well, it's like that
stupid meme, but it is true. Like I have called the teacher
(09:20):
mom before and it's like Oh my God.
Like they're going to shoot my mom in the head on live TV.
Well, also also, you know, getting into politicians like in
the campaign, the movie itself. Who do you think is the
inspiration for Will Ferrell in this movie?
Cuz I was thinking about it. I was like, was this gonna be
like a Bush movie? Cuz he was so famous for playing
Bush. Absolutely.
I mean. Yeah.
(09:41):
I think even for me, as how old were we, Like 10-11?
Yeah, when the campaign came out, I think I was already aware
of Ferrell as Bush. Well, he was doing a, he did a,
he did a Broadway show as Bush. You know that.
So he was like in the pop culture still, like, he kind of
like a farewell tour as Bush anddid like and did like a show on
Broadway. That's fascinating, yeah.
You push your you push your tapeto HBO special too for it.
(10:03):
So like he was still very known as Bush like throughout pop
culture, but. Like I remember watching the
trailer and laughing my ass, my little ass off my little 10 year
old ass, like just laughing it off.
Yeah. And but I remember thinking, oh,
this is like a dirty movie. Like I don't I'm not going to be
able to see this. Like this is inappropriate.
Like, there was still some, like, mystique around, like
(10:24):
these studio comedies, at least for us in those kind of early,
you know, late 2000s early on. We were right on the verge of
being able to see them in theater.
It's like we were probably like a little bit younger than 13,
but they were like that. That that's what made them so
enticing to us. Exactly.
We weren't trying to get our hands on like smut we wanted.
(10:44):
I just wanted to laugh. We.
Wanted to laugh and watch the fucking campaign I.
Remember my dad watched this movie 1st and then said I
couldn't watch it but I believe he showed me some scene.
As a what? Like a fucking education.
Like 11 year old. No, I'm pretty sure he was like,
you can't watch this whole moviebecause like he watched her
first to check it. But I can show you some scenes
(11:06):
so you can like still kind of see it.
So I have like vague memories, alot of the scenes in me, but I
don't think, I don't think I watched the whole thing.
That's interesting. Yeah, because he was like, this
movie's too dirty for you, which, like, it is too dirty for
me. I'd like, you know, 11 years
old. Yeah, but I also feel like, I
guess there's no harm in it, butthere's some, like if you watch
at. 11 You You probably don't want to see him.
If you watch his voicemail, it'sfucking hilarious.
(11:30):
Jack Mcbrayer, so good. He's the best there is at
playing the conservative man. Yeah, but he kind of seems
fruity. Yeah, he's he's he's kind of
like a Southern dandy. Yeah, that's what it is.
That's that's how Conan describes him.
Yeah. Yeah.
So the campaign is kind of aboutWill Ferrell plays Cam Brady.
Cam, who's like the incumbent candidate.
(11:50):
He's kind of like a Scaramucci type vibe without flicking and I
know I I don't know if he was. Around Scaramucci, Sorry.
Not Anthony Scaramucci. Anthony Weiner.
Oh. Dude, Yeah, yeah, yeah,
definitely yeah. He's totally Weiner.
Like the, you know, he's so Weiner, the sex scandal
politician. Yeah.
And he kind of has this horriblegaffe where he he leaves this
(12:11):
voicemail. That's what it is, right?
That's like the initial scandal,Yeah.
It's a voicemail. Hey, Shayna, it's Congressman
Cam Brady here. I just stepped away from a
family dinner to tell you I wishI wasn't eating fried steak.
I wish I was eating Shayna pussy.
(12:31):
Seriously, baby, you get me so hard, my Dick presses against my
zipper and it hurts like a mother fucker.
What else? Oh, hey, I got your parents
tickets to the producers, and oh, yeah, let's do something
crazy weird next time. Like lick each other's butt
holes in a Denny's bathroom. All right, I got to go.
Cambra No 12. Now that was clearly a wrong
(12:51):
number. It's like so vulgar and
hilarious. So he has his major gaffe and
then we end up meeting the the March brothers.
The March brothers. Played by and Dan Eckerd.
And so they're like these wealthy lobbyists and they
decide to gain influence in the district by putting up a rival
(13:11):
candidate. So they kind of sift through
their minds of like who they canput up and they come up with
Marty Huggins. Such a good name.
Played by Zach Galifianakis, whois a tourism director in this
small South Carolina town, and he is not campaign ready.
No, I think they're both kind ofdoing.
(13:34):
I think they're both doing like an easy day at the gym, you know
what I mean? Like, you know, it's been three
years like a since the Hangover,almost 10 years since Anchorman.
They know how to play these roles.
Like, they're asleep a little bit, you know?
So Zach Galifianakis is doing this, this kind of thing.
He's doing like his Seth Galifianakis thing.
Yeah, which took me a while to recognize it cuz I was like,
(13:56):
I've seen like this exact character on the Sean Penn
episode of Between Two Friends, which I fucking love.
And his feral has kind of transitioned into I was just.
Going to say like he's been around.
So like he's kind of the anchor point and he's kind of going, I
guess a newer star, but he's kind of played Ron Burgundy like
before he he's he's played a lotof egotistical guys in a very
(14:17):
specific field. He knows how to do that.
So eventually Marty, with his family's help and their
political connections. His dad played by.
Brian Cox and the the cutthroat campaign manager played by.
Dylan McDermott. Dylan McDermott, who is right in
this era of movies for him, yeah.
But not the other one. Dylan Mulraney.
(14:38):
Dermot. Moral.
They make a joke about it in theend, but after some polishing
Zach Galifianakis character soonbecomes like in a dead heat with
Cam like he really goes up in the polls.
He changes himself in order to try to win it all.
Yeah, but he's like, yeah, he's like the southern dandy type
guy, too. It's like he just, he loves his
(15:00):
town, loves his family. He loves his pugs.
Yeah, he has these two pugs and they're like, you got to get the
fucking rid of these pugs. Hilarious shot when it cuts to
he's coming home he's in campaign mode and they give a a
chocolate lab and golden retriever and the pugs are like
is this be killed or whatever and it cuts the pugs inside the
house window and they're just staring at this all happening.
(15:20):
It's so funny. Yeah, they're like, we're going
to put those down. But you know, as Election Day
approaches, they all kind of make these last ditch efforts to
really bury each other in the campaign.
So the movie basically just becomes them going tit for tat
about 1 upping the other or causing scandals or whatever
else. Yeah, you don't think about for
this movie is it's I I think thestory is by Farrell and I think
(15:43):
Adam McKay. Yeah, Adam McKay.
And you can start to see the political ideas that would then
form a few years later in in hiscareer, you know, with Big Shore
and then going to Vice and don'tlook up.
Vice, which is like on the vergeof being really funny, where you
have Sam Rockwell as George W Bush and it's like, you could
totally see Sam Rockwell playingGeorge Bush on SNL.
(16:06):
Yeah, and in that same exact way.
And it would play but. It's kind of weird for this
movie is I almost think it's toogood at satirizing.
Like it's almost so real that there's like, not as much comedy
as it should be. Like it should be more
heightened. I have one example of where I
think they could have gone a step further to make it more
outrageous. I mean, with it, there's this
(16:28):
line in the movie where they like Galifianakis's character's
nickname is like, shit tickle orsomething.
Tickle shits. Tickle shits.
And he used to. Get tickled.
And he would shit his pants. And they're like, yeah, when you
were a kid, like we used to tickle you and your shit.
So they say that and I'm like, alright, that's funny.
But the rest of the movie, I'm waiting for him to get tickled
and then shit his pants as the candidate.
(16:51):
And there's a moment where he isgetting tickled.
It's by Wolfram. Wolfram was tickling him.
And Dylan Mcdermott's like, oh, you shit.
And I was like, Oh my God, he's about to shit.
But then they bring back the gag, which is probably the most
famous gag from this movie whereyou know, Ferial goes to punch
him one time, misses, swings, hits a baby and there's and it's
like almost not funny. But then it cuts to the slow
(17:14):
motion shot. Strange.
What was it? CG is it?
CG shot of him, punched the babyand then slow MO shot the Binky
falling to the ground. It's almost like he's like in
Crime Alley and he's. Just like and the pearls are
falling. Yeah.
And it's so good because that slow motion and later in the
movie, he's tickling him again after he, you know, he knows the
push Ferrell's buttons and he punches, he punches the Jack
(17:35):
Russell terrier and the bone falls in slow motion.
And it's like maybe the highlight of the movie for me.
But that dog is also the dog theartist, which is so 2012, but
hilarious. Yeah, that the artist can be
referenced and people know what it is.
Is this the only movie that has referenced the artist?
Outside of the artist, yeah, probably.
(17:58):
But that whole baby kissing scene, which is so funny because
that's like where I think the satire is funniest, where it's
like, Oh yeah, can't you know, politicians kiss babies?
Let's have them both like, speedwalking down a hallway, like
fighting each other trying to kiss this baby.
And then you're like, OK, what'sthe funniest way it could end?
He fucking punches it in the face.
Yeah. And this movie is a loose plot.
(18:20):
Like, it kind of goes quick through the campaign.
And like, I was like, oh, really, really.
OK. We were at like, you know, three
months away. Now we're like a week away.
Like it kind of like jumps quick.
So there's a lot of bits of them, like screwing each other
over almost in like a spy versusspy like, or like, you know,
like a Roadrunner. It is a type way.
As we're talking about it, I'm actually liking it more than my
initial thoughts. Well, it it kind of hooked me in
(18:41):
as soon as we as soon as the dinner table scene.
The one what? The voicemail.
No, the one where he's talking to his kid.
Correct, Correct. That is.
I showed to my dad, he, he literally, he, he was laughing
sorry when he had tears pouring out of his face and he goes and
he goes, I'm going to poop myself.
That I wrote that down in my notes.
I was like, this is the first like knockout scene for me is
(19:03):
when Marty Huggins, you know, finds out he's going to be
running for office. He goes home and he's like
talking to his family. He's like, he has two sons and
his wife. He's just like, you know, like
we're going to be under some public scrutiny.
So I just think we should be honest with each other right
now. Like just if you have anything
that you know, maybe you're not proud of or you're embarrassed
(19:24):
about, like just let me let, letme know and it'll be fine.
One time I put a Firefly on my butt hole so make my.
Farts glow. I shaved the dog and glued the
hair to my nut sack so I look like a grown man.
I touched myself to Drew Carey on The Price right.
(19:47):
OK, that's enough. Stop, please.
And it's played so well from Zach Alfenakis, like it's maybe
his best performance in terms ofthe movie.
And the kids are hilarious. Because he has to play it so
reserved in a way that he's like, I'm not going to be mad.
I'm. Not going to be upset.
And the first one is I said the Lord's name in vain, and him
(20:08):
starting off being so upset fromthat sets the scene up to be so
funny, right? He's like holding his lips back.
He's like. He's like I said, I said I won't
get mad. I said I wasn't get mad.
And then it just goes off the fucking rails.
I went to the petting zoo and a goat licked me in the penis.
And the kids are just so like, you know, deadpan.
(20:29):
But he's like the kids. Like he's just like, he's like
a, you know, chubby your kid. He's just like, he just says it
like I taped the head of my ballsack or whatever.
Nothing funnier than a little kid saying shit that's
inappropriate. It's like a.
It's like as reliable as a fart.That was the whole thing with
that movie. Bad Boys.
Good boy. It was called Good Boys, Yeah.
(20:49):
It's called Good boys. Oh, Bad Boys is already a funny
movie. Hey, you were that movie bad
boys. Those little kids say insane
stuff. Here's another question.
Yeah. Do you think that McKay was
supposed to direct us? I mean, when I saw that silly
whip in the beginning with the coffee or whatever the fuck it
is, I was like. Gary Sanchez.
(21:11):
When is this 2012? So Step Brothers is 10, Yeah.
And then I guess maybe he was inthe pre pro for increment 2.
And then we have Jay Roach directing this, as we mentioned
earlier. It's not really his will Forte,
he's more of a it was kind of a pun.
He's more of a Will Forte, more of a Chris Parnell.
(21:33):
They're working on Will Forte impression.
They won't show here. I'll show you later.
OK this is a heads up off mic Will Forte impression.
Well, Jay Roach, you know, does the campaign in 2012 before
this. He does two of the most, I
think, memorable studio comediesof the 2000s.
He does Austin Powers and Meet the Parents.
(21:54):
Yeah, which are two kind of different comedy movies, but
both extremely important in the arc of the both.
You have, you know, Mike Myers character stuff, which is
hilarious. And then you have kind of Ben
Stiller, Owen Wilson, like that crew coming of age.
Almost it's also kind of interesting how those guys were
coming back now. Like Mike Myers is on SNL right
(22:16):
now as Elon Musk, which which isJake, that's already getting
old, but he's still so sharp andcommunically there and you.
Know we give more leeway to MikeMyers then Carvey.
Dana Carvey. He's the one true pony.
Sorry, Carvey. Yeah.
And then, like, you know, Farrell just crushed it.
Arsenal 50. In terms of the concert and
(22:36):
actual show itself, he. Felt like a comeback for some.
Reason he was maybe like the funniest he's been in years.
He was on it. And then you have Stiller's
doing Severance, which with these three guys who been around
since the late 80s, in some of their cases are still killing
and more relevant than they've been in years.
Yeah, it's cool. I mean, I remember as a kid,
like in my head I was sort of forming these groups of we have
(22:59):
my slate segment on the show. I think my slate mentality
started very young where I was kind of grouping, you know,
Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn in one category.
I was like, oh, like those three, like they make movies
together. And then you have the Sandler
troupe. Bade and Farley and Schneider.
Kevin James like that crook. But then you like Stiller and
(23:22):
Vince Vaughn show up in Anchorman.
Yeah. And it's like there's some
crossover there. But I was thinking about in
terms of like, how do you get people back to the theatre to
see a studio comedy? Because my dad and I just
watched the trailer of Happy Gilmore too.
And he goes. That's going to be a huge hit.
And I go. It's coming out on Netflix and
(23:43):
he goes. That sucks.
Wow. It's true.
People would kill to see Happy Gilmore too in theaters I bet.
Do you think they'll do like an Irishman thing where they throw
it in for a week? They do for most of their
movies, but like what a waste. People love Adam Sandler.
But what's his deal with Netflix?
I think he just has a set deal. He's he's making movies for
(24:04):
them, but also he's happy to do that.
I think he's not one of those like, he's not like, you know,
Marty Scorsese. He's like you have to.
See, yeah, he's not out there showing.
He's not like Christopher Nolan,like showing the here we have
the 35mm print of Happy Gilmore too.
Yeah, he just wants to keep making art and make people
laugh. So I think he understands that
Netflix is a venue for that. But also there's something lost
(24:26):
with that. You know, it'd be fun to watch
it together, but also I love to see in a pack there I can't
laugh with. Strangers.
Like, you know, like decently sized theater.
I saw a comedy in maybe Jackass Forever.
Even then I was like half full. Was that at Rutgers?
Yeah. I just remember.
(24:46):
I remember my mom took me to seegrown-ups.
In theaters. Oh, it destroyed in theaters?
It destroyed me. I could not breathe, my stomach
was like clenched I was laughingso hard.
Maybe the last time I had that was maybe like pop star.
In theatre. Yeah, I remember my dad and I
like just laughing so hard that whole movie.
I remember hearing these like mythological stories that my mom
(25:09):
and dad would tell me when I wasyounger.
Like again, like I feel like both both of us, we don't really
talk about this kind of thing, but like the studio comedies, I
think are kind of integral to our development.
Like I remember my mom and dad telling me these crazy stories
of like, Oh my God, Sam, like orlike kids gather around.
(25:30):
Like when we saw fucking knockedup in theaters, we were crying.
We were crying laughing Sam whenwe saw knocked Up in theaters.
Also the Rogan troop. So I was just like, I was like,
wait, like one, these movies canhave that power, but these
comedy movies can like turn my seemingly normal parents into
(25:52):
like paralyzed victims of comedy.
Like that sounds awesome. My mom, she got a lot of Flack
for this as a parent when we were younger.
Oh, here we go. Because we would have like
sleepovers and my mom would not really supervise us.
She would understand that we're going to do whatever we want to
do and she can't really micromanage us.
(26:13):
So what I would do is I would goonline and I would pirate all
these like Seth Rogen movies. So that was kind of like our
theory, like 7 Boys and he put on a super bad a Pineapple
Express and This is the End and all the Jump Street movies.
There's so many Knocked Up, Anchorman.
We would just burn through the Rrated comedies and would laugh
(26:35):
so hard to the point that we, myfriends, even though like we
didn't see them in theaters, we watched them so many times.
You could quote all them like ina hot rod, whatever.
Like those, those movies were soformative for me.
Yeah. But like, I feel like those are
probably the movies that like, you know, like even more than
Star Wars made me like want to become a filmmaker.
Interesting because there's a share.
Laughter with friends, let aloneeven a bigger theatre is like
(26:57):
the best feeling in the world. Yeah, I mean, we love the
Sandler stuff. Paul Blart was huge.
Huge. I mean, that's movies.
I haven't seen it in a while. I'm curious if that movie
actually holds up. I don't think I need to revisit
it. I kind of I kind of this perfect
memory of it in my head. What about public 2I?
Don't think I've seen it actually.
Me either. Oh, Bash is giving us a thumbs
down. Sucks but here's my point
(27:18):
though, I wonder if they did like an Expendables type movie
with some of these actors. If they came back.
Would that like save the studio comedy?
Because seeing like, you know, Pharaoh like and Eddie Murphy
together, that was great. They've never been together.
Before so like, what if you haveto make a move like Farrell,
Sandler, Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, a Jim Carrey?
(27:42):
I was like, would that save the studio comedy?
If you like to get these heavy hitters all back together, you
know, you know, throw Amy Poehler, TFA, you know, cuz
think about they're like sistersmade like $200 million.
Seriously. Yeah, that was what the double
bill with Force Awakens had. It still made money.
People love one in the theaters.I was going to Fact Check myself
(28:03):
there to make sure that. Would it make $80 million?
105 million. Still, still, still a lot.
On a budget of 25,000,000, that's pretty good.
We were mentioning how this is, you know, kind of more geared
towards a satire than just a straight up comedy.
Yeah. I think one of the one of the
(28:24):
funniest bits early on is like, you know, blank or this
country's backbone, like farmersor this country's backbone, you
know? Postal workers.
Postal workers. And then the last one is
Filipino Tilta world operators are this country's backbone.
And that's like how the bit ends.
And it's like, it's funny. And you see the Filipino total
(28:45):
world operators. But it's also like makes his
point where it's like, yeah, these politicians will say
anything. They have their lines that they
say to these, you know, whatevergroup they're talking to.
And also with such a specificityto the language of this movie, I
think a lot of the humor of the 2000 tens.
There's one line I wrote down. You look like a Richard Simmons.
Like he crapped out a goddamn Hobbit.
(29:07):
Yeah, the references. So specific you look the
Travelocity gnome like like veryspecific language and references
in this that I feel like is not maybe their most comedies today
I'm. Trying to think of another
example, but I feel like I have an idea of like my dad watching
a movie or my dad showing me a movie from the 80s and they
reference like, again, like me, shit like that.
(29:27):
And no one is going to know in 15.
Yeah, probably fucking Fletch, which my dad showed me and
Andrew and one of our other buddies.
And a lot of the jokes are just like, I don't understand this
bullshit. Who's that politician from 1984
he's referencing? Along the same lines, in this
movie and this, I feel like thisis right in line with the show
former like trait. Are all of these political
(29:51):
commentators being cameoed? Wolf Blitzer.
I have a whole list of here thatI wrote down.
What's Wolf Blitzer's fee for this movie?
Like it's a piece of the merch, like Lucas.
Yeah, he's definitely. On the back end.
He's like Cruise, I'll only be in Mission Impossible 5 or 6,
whatever if I get a cut. I feel like that was that was
his swan song. Yeah, 'cause he's been like in
(30:14):
every movie as Wolf Blitzer and then in Mission Impossible, was
that the last one or Fallout? Fallout.
So he there's this whole bit where he like is Tom Cruise.
He's Simon Pegg, I think. Simon Pegg But like, again, like
this big era of like, I guess people still watching cable
news. Piers Morgan.
Yeah, Piers Morgan shows up. Chris Matthews, the guy from the
(30:37):
Edge show on MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell Morning.
The Morning Joe crew is there and they look young.
Our buddy Bill Maher. Love Random?
Huge inspiration for this podcast.
When we eventually have video, it will look a lot like the club
random set. We sipping whiskey and smoking
(30:58):
joints the whole the whole time and sinking into our chairs
while we rambled on to about politics.
The hawk to a girl. But if you put the people on in
a movie now no one fucking knowswho they are.
No, because who watches who watches cable news anymore?
Yeah, honestly, honestly, you probably put half the Fox guys
in a movie and people would havea bit more like recognition on
them. But you also have, again, like,
(31:19):
you have this real face off between Farrell and Galifianakis
in the movie. But also I feel like, like we
kind of touched on earlier, like, as these two comedic
forces at the time. Yeah, we're like, I feel like
Galifianakis was still kind of hot, like on the rise, almost
like when, what does he do? What does he do?
Like before this or after? This hanging over 2 and then
(31:40):
before that I think was like DueDate which which also was the
Todd Phillips comedy. I thought I think do they is
after? This.
That's Robert Downey Junior, actually, right?
Yeah, it's him and Danny. That's probably.
Worth. No, it's not him and Danny, it's
him and Jamie Foxx. I completely lied there.
No, no, no, no, no Galifinakis. And is in due date I.
Remember the poster? No.
I'm I'm pretty sure I I should have made it up to you
(32:01):
completely. No, no, no.
Oh no, you are right. You are right.
Because there's also a date night.
Date night, which is in date night.
Steve Carell. And.
Tina Fey, that's. Probably.
Funny, I've watched Date Night. Yeah, I forgot Jamie Foxx was
like the love interest or he's trying to cock Robert the
Engineer in that movie, but I don't know why in my head it was
him and Gofinakis, I guess. Does like dinner for schmucks.
(32:24):
We know that's. He's in that, yes, he's in that
with him. And Corel also, right?
Corel's in that and Rudd, but I remember that scene.
There's like that. It's like it's like a meme or
like a GIF now. I sound so fucking old when I
talk about this shit of Galifianakis, like, trying out.
He's, like, laughing. He's like, has like, the orange
swords. Yeah.
And his fucking face is turning red.
(32:45):
Like, there are brief moments where I think Zach Galifianakis
is, like, the funniest person tohave ever lived.
Isn't he in like Birdman? He's good at Birdman.
Yeah, he's the agent of Michael Keaton, but also he, he, he also
like, it's kind of this thing where he kind of got big a lot
later in life, you know, like. Right, those guys are usually a
little more chill. It's it's different than
(33:07):
Ferrell. Well, Ferrell was what, like in
his 20s on SNL where like, you know, he was probably late 30s
when he got the hangover. Yeah, I mean, Ferrell was
actually I think one of his first movies was the first
Austin Powers. Yeah, he's really young of.
That directed by Jay Rush. Yeah, but like I remember
that's. The connection.
That's the connection. I remember the trailer for this
(33:29):
movie. I remember Zach Galifianakis as
this kind of pop culture figure,like him.
The image of him with the baby in the sunglasses, with the baby
with the sunglasses like, and him with the beard like, That's
like an image in my head. He was iconic for that.
And of course, there's the hot shell Ray song.
You know that tonight, tonight, yes, tonight on the edge of the
(33:53):
Hollywood song tonight. And there's a line where it's
like, and it kind of looks just like you mixed with Zach
Galifianakis. No, no, no.
I knew that line before I actually knew who the fuck Zach
Galifianakis was. But it is interesting, though,
to see some of these actors who are comedic actress today, like,
(34:13):
you know, like, I guess our biggest our biggest star for
comedies is I guess Ryan Reynolds at this point.
But you know, like, but like, but Ferrell came off the UCB or
I guess not NBC. He's probably one of the
groundlings. Daca Van Akis did like ferns and
did like stand up for years and years and years.
These people have to put in the work in order to be funny.
(34:34):
Like there are some people sure who who are like just naturally
kind of funny. But there's a difference between
people who've trained at it and these are two people who are
absolute masters at sketch who are coming into this.
They can really live in these characters.
And because also you also they sell it too.
And that's also why it also works so well as a commentary,
(34:55):
because they're not just doing these roles as like, you know,
like thin characters. They are really living in it.
Yeah, that's not it. There is like a depth to them,
especially in this movie. Like we said, Dylan McDermott
shows up as the campaign managerwho whose name is Tim Watley in
(35:15):
this movie, which is the same name as Bryan Cranston's
character on Seinfeld. I don't know if that's a
coincidence or what the deal is with that, but my ears
immediately perked up with that.You.
Watched a lot of Seinfeld. I did.
Also, Dylan McDermott was big inmy life at this moment.
American Horror Story. Well, no, I wasn't watching that
(35:37):
when I was like, 10, but I was watching a little show called
Hostages on CBS. What?
Hell yeah. With him and Toni Collette.
Toni Collette plays like this. Some political adviser, Dylan
McDermott, breaks into their house and holds her and her
family hostage. And that's the that's the plot
(35:59):
for the whole show. Yeah, it's like a whole.
It's like one season. Oh so like the miniseries are
got cancelled? No, it's.
It's contained. I had a lot of shows like that I
watched just because it was on when I was like young, like, you
know, like I was thinking like Raising Hope.
I'm thinking of the fine. Raising hope, yeah.
The Finder It was a one season show with Jeffrey Stolton,
(36:22):
Michael Clarke Duncan OK. And it was like, he finds things
in Florida and he was like an investigative guy.
And that was like my favorite show when I was a kid.
I don't think I know that one. Time goes on and the finders
forgotten history. Another funny bit is when I
think I have a debate where they're like trying to get Will
(36:44):
Ferrell to do the what the fuck?Is it the prayer?
The prayer and he's. Just he has no clue what it is.
So he's, oh, Sudakis, we have, we haven't even mentioned.
It I remember, should I say you said that I remember when he was
in this movie. Probably his funniest part is
when he's like doing charades for Pharaoh to like help mime
out the prayer. And the funniest part is like
(37:06):
thou shalt not be a temp, like the temptation.
And he does like the temptationsdance.
He's like the temptations. I must prefer some of those.
I I always prefer some of those bits that like are obviously a
satire, but also so real. Like I was like, oh, this could
have happened. Like I like this is like this is
like one step removed like scubafrom reality scuba.
(37:29):
Scuba. There's a funny scene where
Farrell is at another church andhe's like, it's like, it's like
one of those, like, snake churches where the fuck it is?
And he's like dancing Baptist. Yeah, some of the Baptist.
Like he's dancing with the snakes.
This snake, like, fucking bites him on the arm.
And he just starts like cursing like crazy.
The devil's in you. And then later he's like on TV
(37:51):
and he's like getting interviewed.
And they're like, why'd you get bit?
He's just like, it's for the poops.
Like, you know, this politician is like so hardwired to have his
lines, like, it's for the troops.
And then he's like, it's for thepoops.
Yeah. And then there's kind of this
rivalry. Our Galifianakis has a he has a
video with his son, not his son.A feral's son.
(38:16):
I guess I'm gonna call him Dab and it crushes Feral.
So Feral's so mad that he goes to.
So Feral's so mad that he goes to Galifianakis house and then
sucks with his wife and releasesa sex tape.
Yeah, and just tanks him in the polls.
But then Galifianakis comes backand shoots him in the leg.
Which is called back to Cheney. Yeah.
(38:39):
Yeah, that's why I was like, Oh my God, Adam McKay had these
ideas brewing in his head. He wanted to make me with a
twisted Dick Cheney. Does vice is vice good?
No memory of it. I saw it with my ex-girlfriend
and a random friend in theaters in 2018.
We were like 17 so I don't. Think it might secretly be
great? Shelf warmer Dick Cheney is a
(39:00):
shelf warmer Dick. Dick Cheney is a show for him.
That's more Bill Clinton. I don't know if I can do Bush.
He's on the path I did. I did not have sexual
intercourse with Dick Cheney. Just a little playful commentary
for y'all. I know y'all like that.
So my favorite bits of the movietoo is when Pharrell goes to he
(39:21):
goes to the House of he goes to the House of Zach Affinac's
character. I keep forgetting his name.
Marty Higgins. Marty Higgins.
And they have like, like in a 12lash of whiskey together.
And then Phil drives home in thecampaign car.
And then all of a sudden, here'sall of a sudden, here's Don
McDermott. You know what to do.
Yeah. He calls the cops on him.
(39:42):
And then Ferrell was so drunk hestealed the cup.
Yeah, he gets pulled over and then.
Steal the cow. Dash dash Cam footage that I I
was thinking like because I likeWill Ferrell, but he's never
been like one of my all time favourites.
But really really like I. I hate elf.
You got to open your heart, man.Elf is one of my least favorite
(40:04):
movies, period. Look I I understand the hate for
elf, but I really think that youare being way too hard on it.
I think you need to open your heart up and have some magic.
I have enough Christmas magic inother films.
You're like Jimmy Con. You're like Jimmy Con.
I am you. Would've been good in this
movie. Aw.
It's a weird role for Brian Cox.He's like 2 scenes and he's kind
(40:26):
of like useless. But give it to Jimmy Con.
Come on, give. It to Jimmy Con.
Give it to Jimmy Con. He was alive, but basically the
movie ends and Cam, or I'm sorry, Zach Elfenakis has to
like he loses, Will Ferrell wins, and then Will Ferrell's
like, actually I'm going to givemy position back to Zach
(40:49):
Elfenakis. Yeah, because he deserves it.
He really cares about the the people.
Yeah, but. Before that, before that, they
have like this heart to heart and they like kind of connect
and relate to each other becausethey find out that they both
grew up around the same playground and.
Well, they don't. Well, yeah, it's kind of they
(41:11):
all, it's a they all kind of know each other.
Like it's a very small district and early on, like Suds like
refers to refers to him as tickle shits.
I'm sure it's Suds who like, youknow, like references that.
So like he went to school with them but they have no memory of
them really. Yeah, right.
And you know, Pharaoh has like this scar on his arm from this
(41:35):
rusty slide that was in their, like, neighborhood.
And Galvan Atkins is like, yeah,like I have AI have a scar too.
And he shows him his scar and it's like identical.
And he's like, Oh my God, like we're brothers.
It's like, disgusting. And then Galvan Atkins, like,
pulls up his shirt. He's like, Oh yeah, I got, I got
cut pretty bad by the slide. And it's like the most like
(41:57):
grotesque, like body horror, like practical scar running all
around his body. And it's pretty grotesque, but
hilarious. And that's kind of the end of
the movie. Oh, and then and I guess it kind
of ends with the maid out of Brian Cox, who he makes do like
(42:17):
an old, like a racist voice. Yeah.
And then she also works as like a, what do you call that person?
Like someone that serves people.Yeah, she's like she.
Serves Aykroyd and John Lithgow.No no, no, no.
I mean like literally. Oh literally she serves there
like a legal. Notice, Yeah.
Yeah, So they go, there's like this knock on the door, and it's
(42:39):
like this really cartoonish, like Hispanic voice.
And they're like, oh, like she'slike, let us let me in, let me
in. So then they're like, oh, OK.
And they open the door and it's her again.
And she serves the match brothers and they take him to
court. Who are also like, I feel like
this movie, like, listen, it moves so fast that like you only
spend all the time with some supporting characters.
(42:59):
So like you have like, you know,like Dan Aykroyd in this movie
and he's like not funny. No, it's like weird.
It's like, yeah, it's like he's in like 3 scenes that he's not
funny. Yeah.
I do have some production. Facts for me was.
So as we kind of reference Galifianakis, his character,
like his portrayal of Marty Huggins, is based on his
(43:20):
fictitious twin brother Seth Galifianakis, which spawned from
the Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion from 2006,
which might be worth a watch. The exterior shot of the March
mansion is the same mansion thatis supposed to be Wayne Manor in
(43:41):
the 60s Batman show. Oh interesting.
So I'm not even sure how something like that happen.
This is some weird like IMDb. Somebody did the math where it's
like with a large budget of 95,000,000 and the film's
runtime of only 85 minutes, it means the films spend over
(44:02):
1,000,000 per minute of final footage.
Wow. Which I don't think the the
sentence that, but you kind of get the point.
Yeah, I don't know if it's like a.
Screen thing or 1,000,000 per minute?
We were which like, you know, oh, oh, oh, like red screenplay,
one page is one minute. I don't know if that really
tracks on screen. But it's a million per minute.
No, definitely not. And the last thing I have here
(44:25):
is Randy Bachman of the Bachman Turner Overdrive Band is seen on
stage playing his hit Taking care of Business, and they don't
even really show a shot of him. But that was the real guy who
made that. Does anybody know who that is?
That's what I'm saying. Like I think it's it reminded me
of kind of like this era of comedies where you would have
(44:46):
like the real artist like cameo in these comedy movies.
But sure, by 2012, it's like kind of late in the game for
studio comedies. Like they don't even fucking
dwell on it. Like it's literally in the
background and it's actually theguys who made the hit song, but
they don't even get like shout out.
Yeah, I mean, like, you know, this movie's not getting like,
you know, like Bruce Springsteen.
No, that would be great. Bruce Springsteen boy run yo.
(45:14):
I love Cam Brady. I love Cam Brady.
Modi Hogan shucks, sometimes political campaigns are hard.
Me and my friend Obama endorsed Cam Brady.
We're a couple of the kings of podcasts.
We're a couple of Renegades. Just like my friend Cam Brady.
(45:35):
How about how about some slaves in this movie?
Oh, we can pair well together. I got 3 movies that you can
watch alongside the campaign. Hit me with it.
So these are three election based movies.
Is one of them election? Yeah, one of them is Election,
which is a funny, funny Alexander Payne movie.
Who? Honestly, the way Alexander
(45:55):
Payne looks, I kind of get him confused with the way Jay Roach
looks and the way Doug Lyman looks.
Like if you showed me pictures of all three of those guys, I'd
be like, they all kind of have the same vibe.
But Elections are really great movie.
It's funny and it kind of gets more in the nitty gritty of like
an actual campaign and the cut, a similar kind of cutthroat
(46:16):
mentality. I've got the war room here,
which is. Have you seen that?
I've done now. It's a doc about Clinton's first
campaign in 92. And that's where you see like
George Stephanopoulos and James Carville and you kind of see
their way of making a true campaign and kind of playing
(46:38):
dirty but playing by the rules and getting, you know, the first
Democrat elected in, you know, 12 years.
So it is. And it's all real and it's all
real footage. And it's what's his face.
DA Pennebecker. Oh cool.
So it's like a it's a legit doc.And then the last one I got here
is Game Change, which is Jay Roach's came out the same
(47:02):
fucking year, 2012 really. And it's about the McCain, Sarah
Palin ticket. And Julianne Moore plays Sarah
Palin. Ed Harris plays John McCain.
I did not know about this movie.And it's bizarre.
And Woody Harrelson plays Steve Schmidt, the campaign manager,
(47:25):
and that came out the same year and was directed by J Roach.
Busy guy, his political aspirations.
Yeah. So Andrew, would you take this
off the shelf or would you just let it be, let it collect dust?
You know what, I would take it off the shelf.
I'm happy. You know, like I said, I think I
(47:46):
vaguely saw this when I was a kid maybe, or I saw part of it
with my dad. And it's something that kind of
had on my mind for the last 13 years.
So I kind of got the, I got the satisfaction of seeing it
finally. You know what made me laugh?
Tight movie. It is tight.
So I'm happy I picked it up. It was a little hot.
It was warm. You know what?
I put it back and it was smoldering.
(48:10):
Scolding. Scolding hot.
Yeah. I mean, I have to agree.
I would kind of take it off the shelf, check it out, have a
chuckle, and then, you know, putit back up indefinitely.
Yeah, maybe I'll revisit the clips on YouTube of like the
dinner rooms, dining room scene and catch some of the clips on
(48:31):
YouTube, but overall, pretty good.
Well, that's our show. Thank you for listening.
We'll catch you next time. Thank you for listening to Shelf
Warmers. New episodes drop every
Wednesday. You can follow us on social
media at Shelf Warmers dot Podcast where we can send us
movies to take off the shelf forfuture episodes.
All right, welcome to Shell Formers.
I'm Sam. And I'm Andrew.
This is the podcast where we watch and discuss movies from
roughly 2012 to 2020. Also known as the pump and dump
period for Hollywood. Not exactly a golden age, but
definitely a time of high fertility for Tinseltown.
So fertile, in fact, that we didn't see many of the movies
that came out. So if they're good, they're bad
(00:33):
or just, man, we're going to cover it all.
If we heard about it and didn't watch it, well, now we're going
to. That's right, And today we're
covering 2012's The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach
Galifianakis, directed by. Jay Roach previously mentioned
the podcast as a as a director who made a lot of comedies and
then now is doing weird like dramas, I guess at this point
(00:55):
like political drum shells, someshell the campaign double
feature. Yeah, he like pivoted.
He pivoted hard pivot, hard pivot.
And I guess that's kind of like the new thing to do because no
one makes comedies anymore. But it's it's so much more the
boring option. Like for example, what if Mel
Brooks made Young Frankenstein and then was like.
(01:15):
All the presidents. Know that was exactly what I was
going to say. That's exactly the movie I was
going to say, which is like. Imagine that though.
He did somewhat, you know, he produced The Elephant Man, but
also he kind of used his name tolet people who actually want to
make more serious films produce and get their chances, like
David Lynch. People forget.
Yeah, but he would still make his comedies up into the 90s.
(01:36):
But just that that that would have sucked if he was just like,
you know what I want to do Kramer VS Kramer, I want to do
Serpico. I'm like, yeah, no, Mel Brooks,
like keep making your silliness.Like people that are funny.
I was saying they should stick to it, but they should like, you
know, that is a gift in order tomake it's.
Hard. Really hard to make a comedy.
Supposed to be like like directing a comedy movie is
really hard because it's. Hard to make people it's.
(01:59):
One thing to like be like a performer in a comedy movie, but
to be like steering the ship andalso, you know, sometimes having
bit roles, supporting roles in the movies.
For that, I often think about how do half these actors who we
grew up watching like Seth Morris and Rob Corddry and all
these actors who were of these big comedians in the 2000 tens
and 2000 and really I guess since the 90s who were always
(02:23):
probably seen and making money off these bit parts and studio
comedies. How are they making money
anymore? Because they're not getting cast
in dramas. You know, like a Rob Huebel and
Rob Riggle and all these guys who were always supporting cast
like 21 Jump St. and all these different types of comedies.
Maybe they tour or just have enough stowed away.
(02:43):
I guess if you're like, you know, Chris Parnell or like, you
know the Fred Armisen who were so.
Many, by the way, looks great today.
Taking incredible, incredible care of himself.
Like it looks better now than 20years ago.
I. Think that's the SNL effect, I
think. You don't have time to work out
and you're eating like shit and you're up all night so you just
look terrible. But now he's like a father and
(03:05):
like, he runs every day like. That so he's fine.
He's chilling. Well, did you know this movie
came out August 10th, 2012? Yeah, I think I did.
I also did some research for this podcast, but yeah, tell me
about it. So what did you see this
weekend? Do you know off the top of your
head? Because if none I have a list I.
Have a memory of where I was thesummer of 2012.
(03:28):
I also do Jersey Shore. I was a little.
Up north in Michigan. Oh.
Yeah, yeah. Why were you in Michigan?
Calf My family is from Michigan,did you know that?
I actually do not think I knew that about you.
It's four years or five years offriendship.
I don't think I've ever come up before.
Yeah, I spent my summers in Michigan until I was like 14.
(03:49):
I was kind of wish I had that, like had that, like, you know,
like when you're in your 60s, looking back in your life, like
when I spent my summers in Vermont, my summers in Arizona
and I'm like, I was just in Jersey the whole third time.
Well, it was like, yeah, it was like the whole summer.
It was like 2 weeks stretches. Oh OK, so you lied to me then.
But I I went consistently every summer.
That's like that's like that's like there's somebody saying
(04:10):
like, yeah, like I'm a New Yorker.
I moved there when I was 26. I think you can.
You can adopt The New Yorker. Moniker.
I think you live in New York. I don't think you're from from,
I don't think you're from New York.
I think that's kind of a whole part of the identity.
But you're a New Yorker. I, I, I think if you live in New
York for 10 years, you're a New Yorker.
No, that's what you think. You live in New York, but you're
(04:32):
not a New Yorker. It depends where in New York.
Oh, interesting. Oh, scenario, be an elitist now.
Well, if you live in like a penthouse in Manhattan, you're
after moving there when you're like 30 because you're like a
Wall Street guy. Like, like, you're not in New
York. But I guess if you like.
But if you're hustling in the city for 10/15/20 years, you
(04:54):
don't think you've earned New Yorker if you've made it no in
the concrete jungle. I don't think so.
I think that we will always be people from Jersey.
Well, I guess Jersey guys, yeah.We're still Jersey Boy anyway.
I'm in the same way that like, you know, like if you go to LA,
you're not really from LA. Like it's kind of a transplant
city. True.
You're now like a, you know. Well, I know what I saw this
weekend. Yeah, what's that?
The Bourne Legacy, I was big, I mean big on Jeremy Renner.
(05:20):
I well, I'm just a big Hawkeye guy in general.
And that, that I think made me convince myself for like 5 years
that Jeremy Renner was one of the greatest actors of all time.
Good actor going wrong. Were you particularly impressed
with his Hawkeye work? No, but I loved Hawkeye so much.
That didn't get overshadowed. Like I like, I remember like
being like 13 and I was like I got to watch the Herlock.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Renner, I was like, well,
(05:42):
he's better than Matt Damon. He's like, he's the coolest guy
alive now. I have very mixed opinions on
Jeremy Renner, but I saw Bourne opening weekend I was so excited
for. It, that's crazy.
I was not dialled into the Bourne franchise until later,
and then I was kind of like. I don't know if I've seen
another Bourne movie, if I'm going to be honest.
Maybe we'll end up watching Jason Bourne on this.
(06:05):
That'd be a good picture on thisshow.
But I remember in the trailer and there, like that moment,
it's Jason Bourne. There's Jesus Christ, it's Jason
Bourne. And then there's like that crazy
punch, right? It's like that steel punch. 59
Matt Damon like like just walks up to he's like a huge boxer and
drops him in one punch. Maybe he could do it after like
6 beers at a Boston vibe. But I don't know if Jason
(06:27):
Bourne's drive, I don't know if he's dropping a six foot five
guy, but that's like I can take an Affleck in one punch.
That's not going to happen. I'd like, we're like, going to
give him a wedgie for that. To be a family on the wall with
those two. And just see them have sex with
each other, right? Because.
Because that's what they've done.
At least hand stuff. At least hand stuff.
So the campaign, I'm kind of curious what your memories are,
(06:50):
presidential campaigns. I do remember the fact that
George W Bush was president. You know, really I have memories
of that because he was president, I think until I was
like in first or second grade. So I was like aware of who the
president was somewhat through school.
But I really remember, like the Obama administration watching
the inauguration on TV when I was 7.
Definitely. I mean, I don't know if I have
memories of George Bush as president, because I don't.
(07:11):
Like memories of him, but I remember like knowing he was the
president. I remember like the huge ass
TV's we used to have with the huge backs, like sitting on my
parents dresser in their bedroom.
And it was the Democratic debate, Yeah, with Hillary and
Barack, President Obama. Sorry.
Yeah. And.
We're saying lock her up still. Even then I had like this
(07:33):
incline you were. Like you were like check her
emails but I. Just remember you were like my
dad telling like that is Barack Obama and he will be the next
president. Wow, that tells you where my
household was. I won't say who my mom would
have won't. But that was just an early
memory. I was like, like my earliest
political memories are this guy Obama is going to be.
(07:54):
He was. Charming man, he's charismatic.
Heck yeah. He was well hope.
My father was a Republican mayorin our town from 2008, 2012.
So he was elected at the same time as Obama.
Oh, really? Yeah.
So yes, same first term, but during that time was also the
star of Chris Christie. So Chris Christie at some point
started to campaign in our town.I've met Chris Christie like
(08:16):
many times. Like I, like I met his kids.
Good hang. Tough hang.
He took up a room, if you know what I mean by that.
Because he's. Well literally and figuratively,
like his presence was felt. I remember his kid like tried to
hang out with me and my brother and he was kind of annoying so
we so we like vaguely bullied him maybe.
(08:36):
Oh my God, when they when they were annoying kids and you had
your group of kids, I was not afraid to outcast that.
They also like it's my brother and I like we don't.
We're not really looking for a third friend.
Yeah, there's no vacancy. Here I felt bad, but also I was
like, I'm not trying to be friends with Chris Christie
kids. Even Christie Step Hall, well
remember he cancelled Halloween.He did.
(08:57):
He's not a nice guy. Well, no, I mean, my memories of
him in my the adults I was around were like, he's cutting
the funding to schools. Teachers are going to be fucked
because of him. And I was like, whoa, that's
that's serious. Because when you're a kid, your
whole life is teachers and school.
Like I remember, you know, seeing well, it's like that
stupid meme, but it is true. Like I have called the teacher
(09:20):
mom before and it's like Oh my God.
Like they're going to shoot my mom in the head on live TV.
Well, also also, you know, getting into politicians like in
the campaign, the movie itself. Who do you think is the
inspiration for Will Ferrell in this movie?
Cuz I was thinking about it. I was like, was this gonna be
like a Bush movie? Cuz he was so famous for playing
Bush. Absolutely.
I mean. Yeah.
(09:41):
I think even for me, as how old were we, Like 10-11?
Yeah, when the campaign came out, I think I was already aware
of Ferrell as Bush. Well, he was doing a, he did a,
he did a Broadway show as Bush. You know that.
So he was like in the pop culture still, like, he kind of
like a farewell tour as Bush anddid like and did like a show on
Broadway. That's fascinating, yeah.
You push your you push your tapeto HBO special too for it.
(10:03):
So like he was still very known as Bush like throughout pop
culture, but. Like I remember watching the
trailer and laughing my ass, my little ass off my little 10 year
old ass, like just laughing it off.
Yeah. And but I remember thinking, oh,
this is like a dirty movie. Like I don't I'm not going to be
able to see this. Like this is inappropriate.
Like, there was still some, like, mystique around, like
(10:24):
these studio comedies, at least for us in those kind of early,
you know, late 2000s early on. We were right on the verge of
being able to see them in theater.
It's like we were probably like a little bit younger than 13,
but they were like that. That that's what made them so
enticing to us. Exactly.
We weren't trying to get our hands on like smut we wanted.
(10:44):
I just wanted to laugh. We.
Wanted to laugh and watch the fucking campaign I.
Remember my dad watched this movie 1st and then said I
couldn't watch it but I believe he showed me some scene.
As a what? Like a fucking education.
Like 11 year old. No, I'm pretty sure he was like,
you can't watch this whole moviebecause like he watched her
first to check it. But I can show you some scenes
(11:06):
so you can like still kind of see it.
So I have like vague memories, alot of the scenes in me, but I
don't think, I don't think I watched the whole thing.
That's interesting. Yeah, because he was like, this
movie's too dirty for you, which, like, it is too dirty for
me. I'd like, you know, 11 years
old. Yeah, but I also feel like, I
guess there's no harm in it, butthere's some, like if you watch
at. 11 You You probably don't want to see him.
If you watch his voicemail, it'sfucking hilarious.
(11:30):
Jack Mcbrayer, so good. He's the best there is at
playing the conservative man. Yeah, but he kind of seems
fruity. Yeah, he's he's he's kind of
like a Southern dandy. Yeah, that's what it is.
That's that's how Conan describes him.
Yeah. Yeah.
So the campaign is kind of aboutWill Ferrell plays Cam Brady.
Cam, who's like the incumbent candidate.
(11:50):
He's kind of like a Scaramucci type vibe without flicking and I
know I I don't know if he was. Around Scaramucci, Sorry.
Not Anthony Scaramucci. Anthony Weiner.
Oh. Dude, Yeah, yeah, yeah,
definitely yeah. He's totally Weiner.
Like the, you know, he's so Weiner, the sex scandal
politician. Yeah.
And he kind of has this horriblegaffe where he he leaves this
(12:11):
voicemail. That's what it is, right?
That's like the initial scandal,Yeah.
It's a voicemail. Hey, Shayna, it's Congressman
Cam Brady here. I just stepped away from a
family dinner to tell you I wishI wasn't eating fried steak.
I wish I was eating Shayna pussy.
(12:31):
Seriously, baby, you get me so hard, my Dick presses against my
zipper and it hurts like a mother fucker.
What else? Oh, hey, I got your parents
tickets to the producers, and oh, yeah, let's do something
crazy weird next time. Like lick each other's butt
holes in a Denny's bathroom. All right, I got to go.
Cambra No 12. Now that was clearly a wrong
(12:51):
number. It's like so vulgar and
hilarious. So he has his major gaffe and
then we end up meeting the the March brothers.
The March brothers. Played by and Dan Eckerd.
And so they're like these wealthy lobbyists and they
decide to gain influence in the district by putting up a rival
(13:11):
candidate. So they kind of sift through
their minds of like who they canput up and they come up with
Marty Huggins. Such a good name.
Played by Zach Galifianakis, whois a tourism director in this
small South Carolina town, and he is not campaign ready.
No, I think they're both kind ofdoing.
(13:34):
I think they're both doing like an easy day at the gym, you know
what I mean? Like, you know, it's been three
years like a since the Hangover,almost 10 years since Anchorman.
They know how to play these roles.
Like, they're asleep a little bit, you know?
So Zach Galifianakis is doing this, this kind of thing.
He's doing like his Seth Galifianakis thing.
Yeah, which took me a while to recognize it cuz I was like,
(13:56):
I've seen like this exact character on the Sean Penn
episode of Between Two Friends, which I fucking love.
And his feral has kind of transitioned into I was just.
Going to say like he's been around.
So like he's kind of the anchor point and he's kind of going, I
guess a newer star, but he's kind of played Ron Burgundy like
before he he's he's played a lotof egotistical guys in a very
(14:17):
specific field. He knows how to do that.
So eventually Marty, with his family's help and their
political connections. His dad played by.
Brian Cox and the the cutthroat campaign manager played by.
Dylan McDermott. Dylan McDermott, who is right in
this era of movies for him, yeah.
But not the other one. Dylan Mulraney.
(14:38):
Dermot. Moral.
They make a joke about it in theend, but after some polishing
Zach Galifianakis character soonbecomes like in a dead heat with
Cam like he really goes up in the polls.
He changes himself in order to try to win it all.
Yeah, but he's like, yeah, he's like the southern dandy type
guy, too. It's like he just, he loves his
(15:00):
town, loves his family. He loves his pugs.
Yeah, he has these two pugs and they're like, you got to get the
fucking rid of these pugs. Hilarious shot when it cuts to
he's coming home he's in campaign mode and they give a a
chocolate lab and golden retriever and the pugs are like
is this be killed or whatever and it cuts the pugs inside the
house window and they're just staring at this all happening.
(15:20):
It's so funny. Yeah, they're like, we're going
to put those down. But you know, as Election Day
approaches, they all kind of make these last ditch efforts to
really bury each other in the campaign.
So the movie basically just becomes them going tit for tat
about 1 upping the other or causing scandals or whatever
else. Yeah, you don't think about for
this movie is it's I I think thestory is by Farrell and I think
(15:43):
Adam McKay. Yeah, Adam McKay.
And you can start to see the political ideas that would then
form a few years later in in hiscareer, you know, with Big Shore
and then going to Vice and don'tlook up.
Vice, which is like on the vergeof being really funny, where you
have Sam Rockwell as George W Bush and it's like, you could
totally see Sam Rockwell playingGeorge Bush on SNL.
(16:06):
Yeah, and in that same exact way.
And it would play but. It's kind of weird for this
movie is I almost think it's toogood at satirizing.
Like it's almost so real that there's like, not as much comedy
as it should be. Like it should be more
heightened. I have one example of where I
think they could have gone a step further to make it more
outrageous. I mean, with it, there's this
(16:28):
line in the movie where they like Galifianakis's character's
nickname is like, shit tickle orsomething.
Tickle shits. Tickle shits.
And he used to. Get tickled.
And he would shit his pants. And they're like, yeah, when you
were a kid, like we used to tickle you and your shit.
So they say that and I'm like, alright, that's funny.
But the rest of the movie, I'm waiting for him to get tickled
and then shit his pants as the candidate.
(16:51):
And there's a moment where he isgetting tickled.
It's by Wolfram. Wolfram was tickling him.
And Dylan Mcdermott's like, oh, you shit.
And I was like, Oh my God, he's about to shit.
But then they bring back the gag, which is probably the most
famous gag from this movie whereyou know, Ferial goes to punch
him one time, misses, swings, hits a baby and there's and it's
like almost not funny. But then it cuts to the slow
(17:14):
motion shot. Strange.
What was it? CG is it?
CG shot of him, punched the babyand then slow MO shot the Binky
falling to the ground. It's almost like he's like in
Crime Alley and he's. Just like and the pearls are
falling. Yeah.
And it's so good because that slow motion and later in the
movie, he's tickling him again after he, you know, he knows the
push Ferrell's buttons and he punches, he punches the Jack
(17:35):
Russell terrier and the bone falls in slow motion.
And it's like maybe the highlight of the movie for me.
But that dog is also the dog theartist, which is so 2012, but
hilarious. Yeah, that the artist can be
referenced and people know what it is.
Is this the only movie that has referenced the artist?
Outside of the artist, yeah, probably.
(17:58):
But that whole baby kissing scene, which is so funny because
that's like where I think the satire is funniest, where it's
like, Oh yeah, can't you know, politicians kiss babies?
Let's have them both like, speedwalking down a hallway, like
fighting each other trying to kiss this baby.
And then you're like, OK, what'sthe funniest way it could end?
He fucking punches it in the face.
Yeah. And this movie is a loose plot.
(18:20):
Like, it kind of goes quick through the campaign.
And like, I was like, oh, really, really.
OK. We were at like, you know, three
months away. Now we're like a week away.
Like it kind of like jumps quick.
So there's a lot of bits of them, like screwing each other
over almost in like a spy versusspy like, or like, you know,
like a Roadrunner. It is a type way.
As we're talking about it, I'm actually liking it more than my
initial thoughts. Well, it it kind of hooked me in
(18:41):
as soon as we as soon as the dinner table scene.
The one what? The voicemail.
No, the one where he's talking to his kid.
Correct, Correct. That is.
I showed to my dad, he, he literally, he, he was laughing
sorry when he had tears pouring out of his face and he goes and
he goes, I'm going to poop myself.
That I wrote that down in my notes.
I was like, this is the first like knockout scene for me is
(19:03):
when Marty Huggins, you know, finds out he's going to be
running for office. He goes home and he's like
talking to his family. He's like, he has two sons and
his wife. He's just like, you know, like
we're going to be under some public scrutiny.
So I just think we should be honest with each other right
now. Like just if you have anything
that you know, maybe you're not proud of or you're embarrassed
(19:24):
about, like just let me let, letme know and it'll be fine.
One time I put a Firefly on my butt hole so make my.
Farts glow. I shaved the dog and glued the
hair to my nut sack so I look like a grown man.
I touched myself to Drew Carey on The Price right.
(19:47):
OK, that's enough. Stop, please.
And it's played so well from Zach Alfenakis, like it's maybe
his best performance in terms ofthe movie.
And the kids are hilarious. Because he has to play it so
reserved in a way that he's like, I'm not going to be mad.
I'm. Not going to be upset.
And the first one is I said the Lord's name in vain, and him
(20:08):
starting off being so upset fromthat sets the scene up to be so
funny, right? He's like holding his lips back.
He's like. He's like I said, I said I won't
get mad. I said I wasn't get mad.
And then it just goes off the fucking rails.
I went to the petting zoo and a goat licked me in the penis.
And the kids are just so like, you know, deadpan.
(20:29):
But he's like the kids. Like he's just like, he's like
a, you know, chubby your kid. He's just like, he just says it
like I taped the head of my ballsack or whatever.
Nothing funnier than a little kid saying shit that's
inappropriate. It's like a.
It's like as reliable as a fart.That was the whole thing with
that movie. Bad Boys.
Good boy. It was called Good Boys, Yeah.
(20:49):
It's called Good boys. Oh, Bad Boys is already a funny
movie. Hey, you were that movie bad
boys. Those little kids say insane
stuff. Here's another question.
Yeah. Do you think that McKay was
supposed to direct us? I mean, when I saw that silly
whip in the beginning with the coffee or whatever the fuck it
is, I was like. Gary Sanchez.
(21:11):
When is this 2012? So Step Brothers is 10, Yeah.
And then I guess maybe he was inthe pre pro for increment 2.
And then we have Jay Roach directing this, as we mentioned
earlier. It's not really his will Forte,
he's more of a it was kind of a pun.
He's more of a Will Forte, more of a Chris Parnell.
(21:33):
They're working on Will Forte impression.
They won't show here. I'll show you later.
OK this is a heads up off mic Will Forte impression.
Well, Jay Roach, you know, does the campaign in 2012 before
this. He does two of the most, I
think, memorable studio comediesof the 2000s.
He does Austin Powers and Meet the Parents.
(21:54):
Yeah, which are two kind of different comedy movies, but
both extremely important in the arc of the both.
You have, you know, Mike Myers character stuff, which is
hilarious. And then you have kind of Ben
Stiller, Owen Wilson, like that crew coming of age.
Almost it's also kind of interesting how those guys were
coming back now. Like Mike Myers is on SNL right
(22:16):
now as Elon Musk, which which isJake, that's already getting
old, but he's still so sharp andcommunically there and you.
Know we give more leeway to MikeMyers then Carvey.
Dana Carvey. He's the one true pony.
Sorry, Carvey. Yeah.
And then, like, you know, Farrell just crushed it.
Arsenal 50. In terms of the concert and
(22:36):
actual show itself, he. Felt like a comeback for some.
Reason he was maybe like the funniest he's been in years.
He was on it. And then you have Stiller's
doing Severance, which with these three guys who been around
since the late 80s, in some of their cases are still killing
and more relevant than they've been in years.
Yeah, it's cool. I mean, I remember as a kid,
like in my head I was sort of forming these groups of we have
(22:59):
my slate segment on the show. I think my slate mentality
started very young where I was kind of grouping, you know,
Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn in one category.
I was like, oh, like those three, like they make movies
together. And then you have the Sandler
troupe. Bade and Farley and Schneider.
Kevin James like that crook. But then you like Stiller and
(23:22):
Vince Vaughn show up in Anchorman.
Yeah. And it's like there's some
crossover there. But I was thinking about in
terms of like, how do you get people back to the theatre to
see a studio comedy? Because my dad and I just
watched the trailer of Happy Gilmore too.
And he goes. That's going to be a huge hit.
And I go. It's coming out on Netflix and
(23:43):
he goes. That sucks.
Wow. It's true.
People would kill to see Happy Gilmore too in theaters I bet.
Do you think they'll do like an Irishman thing where they throw
it in for a week? They do for most of their
movies, but like what a waste. People love Adam Sandler.
But what's his deal with Netflix?
I think he just has a set deal. He's he's making movies for
(24:04):
them, but also he's happy to do that.
I think he's not one of those like, he's not like, you know,
Marty Scorsese. He's like you have to.
See, yeah, he's not out there showing.
He's not like Christopher Nolan,like showing the here we have
the 35mm print of Happy Gilmore too.
Yeah, he just wants to keep making art and make people
laugh. So I think he understands that
Netflix is a venue for that. But also there's something lost
(24:26):
with that. You know, it'd be fun to watch
it together, but also I love to see in a pack there I can't
laugh with. Strangers.
Like, you know, like decently sized theater.
I saw a comedy in maybe Jackass Forever.
Even then I was like half full. Was that at Rutgers?
Yeah. I just remember.
(24:46):
I remember my mom took me to seegrown-ups.
In theaters. Oh, it destroyed in theaters?
It destroyed me. I could not breathe, my stomach
was like clenched I was laughingso hard.
Maybe the last time I had that was maybe like pop star.
In theatre. Yeah, I remember my dad and I
like just laughing so hard that whole movie.
I remember hearing these like mythological stories that my mom
(25:09):
and dad would tell me when I wasyounger.
Like again, like I feel like both both of us, we don't really
talk about this kind of thing, but like the studio comedies, I
think are kind of integral to our development.
Like I remember my mom and dad telling me these crazy stories
of like, Oh my God, Sam, like orlike kids gather around.
(25:30):
Like when we saw fucking knockedup in theaters, we were crying.
We were crying laughing Sam whenwe saw knocked Up in theaters.
Also the Rogan troop. So I was just like, I was like,
wait, like one, these movies canhave that power, but these
comedy movies can like turn my seemingly normal parents into
(25:52):
like paralyzed victims of comedy.
Like that sounds awesome. My mom, she got a lot of Flack
for this as a parent when we were younger.
Oh, here we go. Because we would have like
sleepovers and my mom would not really supervise us.
She would understand that we're going to do whatever we want to
do and she can't really micromanage us.
(26:13):
So what I would do is I would goonline and I would pirate all
these like Seth Rogen movies. So that was kind of like our
theory, like 7 Boys and he put on a super bad a Pineapple
Express and This is the End and all the Jump Street movies.
There's so many Knocked Up, Anchorman.
We would just burn through the Rrated comedies and would laugh
(26:35):
so hard to the point that we, myfriends, even though like we
didn't see them in theaters, we watched them so many times.
You could quote all them like ina hot rod, whatever.
Like those, those movies were soformative for me.
Yeah. But like, I feel like those are
probably the movies that like, you know, like even more than
Star Wars made me like want to become a filmmaker.
Interesting because there's a share.
Laughter with friends, let aloneeven a bigger theatre is like
(26:57):
the best feeling in the world. Yeah, I mean, we love the
Sandler stuff. Paul Blart was huge.
Huge. I mean, that's movies.
I haven't seen it in a while. I'm curious if that movie
actually holds up. I don't think I need to revisit
it. I kind of I kind of this perfect
memory of it in my head. What about public 2I?
Don't think I've seen it actually.
Me either. Oh, Bash is giving us a thumbs
down. Sucks but here's my point
(27:18):
though, I wonder if they did like an Expendables type movie
with some of these actors. If they came back.
Would that like save the studio comedy?
Because seeing like, you know, Pharaoh like and Eddie Murphy
together, that was great. They've never been together.
Before so like, what if you haveto make a move like Farrell,
Sandler, Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, a Jim Carrey?
(27:42):
I was like, would that save the studio comedy?
If you like to get these heavy hitters all back together, you
know, you know, throw Amy Poehler, TFA, you know, cuz
think about they're like sistersmade like $200 million.
Seriously. Yeah, that was what the double
bill with Force Awakens had. It still made money.
People love one in the theaters.I was going to Fact Check myself
(28:03):
there to make sure that. Would it make $80 million?
105 million. Still, still, still a lot.
On a budget of 25,000,000, that's pretty good.
We were mentioning how this is, you know, kind of more geared
towards a satire than just a straight up comedy.
Yeah. I think one of the one of the
(28:24):
funniest bits early on is like, you know, blank or this
country's backbone, like farmersor this country's backbone, you
know? Postal workers.
Postal workers. And then the last one is
Filipino Tilta world operators are this country's backbone.
And that's like how the bit ends.
And it's like, it's funny. And you see the Filipino total
(28:45):
world operators. But it's also like makes his
point where it's like, yeah, these politicians will say
anything. They have their lines that they
say to these, you know, whatevergroup they're talking to.
And also with such a specificityto the language of this movie, I
think a lot of the humor of the 2000 tens.
There's one line I wrote down. You look like a Richard Simmons.
Like he crapped out a goddamn Hobbit.
(29:07):
Yeah, the references. So specific you look the
Travelocity gnome like like veryspecific language and references
in this that I feel like is not maybe their most comedies today
I'm. Trying to think of another
example, but I feel like I have an idea of like my dad watching
a movie or my dad showing me a movie from the 80s and they
reference like, again, like me, shit like that.
(29:27):
And no one is going to know in 15.
Yeah, probably fucking Fletch, which my dad showed me and
Andrew and one of our other buddies.
And a lot of the jokes are just like, I don't understand this
bullshit. Who's that politician from 1984
he's referencing? Along the same lines, in this
movie and this, I feel like thisis right in line with the show
former like trait. Are all of these political
(29:51):
commentators being cameoed? Wolf Blitzer.
I have a whole list of here thatI wrote down.
What's Wolf Blitzer's fee for this movie?
Like it's a piece of the merch, like Lucas.
Yeah, he's definitely. On the back end.
He's like Cruise, I'll only be in Mission Impossible 5 or 6,
whatever if I get a cut. I feel like that was that was
his swan song. Yeah, 'cause he's been like in
(30:14):
every movie as Wolf Blitzer and then in Mission Impossible, was
that the last one or Fallout? Fallout.
So he there's this whole bit where he like is Tom Cruise.
He's Simon Pegg, I think. Simon Pegg But like, again, like
this big era of like, I guess people still watching cable
news. Piers Morgan.
Yeah, Piers Morgan shows up. Chris Matthews, the guy from the
(30:37):
Edge show on MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell Morning.
The Morning Joe crew is there and they look young.
Our buddy Bill Maher. Love Random?
Huge inspiration for this podcast.
When we eventually have video, it will look a lot like the club
random set. We sipping whiskey and smoking
(30:58):
joints the whole the whole time and sinking into our chairs
while we rambled on to about politics.
The hawk to a girl. But if you put the people on in
a movie now no one fucking knowswho they are.
No, because who watches who watches cable news anymore?
Yeah, honestly, honestly, you probably put half the Fox guys
in a movie and people would havea bit more like recognition on
them. But you also have, again, like,
(31:19):
you have this real face off between Farrell and Galifianakis
in the movie. But also I feel like, like we
kind of touched on earlier, like, as these two comedic
forces at the time. Yeah, we're like, I feel like
Galifianakis was still kind of hot, like on the rise, almost
like when, what does he do? What does he do?
Like before this or after? This hanging over 2 and then
(31:40):
before that I think was like DueDate which which also was the
Todd Phillips comedy. I thought I think do they is
after? This.
That's Robert Downey Junior, actually, right?
Yeah, it's him and Danny. That's probably.
Worth. No, it's not him and Danny, it's
him and Jamie Foxx. I completely lied there.
No, no, no, no, no Galifinakis. And is in due date I.
Remember the poster? No.
I'm I'm pretty sure I I should have made it up to you
(32:01):
completely. No, no, no.
Oh no, you are right. You are right.
Because there's also a date night.
Date night, which is in date night.
Steve Carell. And.
Tina Fey, that's. Probably.
Funny, I've watched Date Night. Yeah, I forgot Jamie Foxx was
like the love interest or he's trying to cock Robert the
Engineer in that movie, but I don't know why in my head it was
him and Gofinakis, I guess. Does like dinner for schmucks.
(32:24):
We know that's. He's in that, yes, he's in that
with him. And Corel also, right?
Corel's in that and Rudd, but I remember that scene.
There's like that. It's like it's like a meme or
like a GIF now. I sound so fucking old when I
talk about this shit of Galifianakis, like, trying out.
He's, like, laughing. He's like, has like, the orange
swords. Yeah.
And his fucking face is turning red.
(32:45):
Like, there are brief moments where I think Zach Galifianakis
is, like, the funniest person tohave ever lived.
Isn't he in like Birdman? He's good at Birdman.
Yeah, he's the agent of Michael Keaton, but also he, he, he also
like, it's kind of this thing where he kind of got big a lot
later in life, you know, like. Right, those guys are usually a
little more chill. It's it's different than
(33:07):
Ferrell. Well, Ferrell was what, like in
his 20s on SNL where like, you know, he was probably late 30s
when he got the hangover. Yeah, I mean, Ferrell was
actually I think one of his first movies was the first
Austin Powers. Yeah, he's really young of.
That directed by Jay Rush. Yeah, but like I remember
that's. The connection.
That's the connection. I remember the trailer for this
(33:29):
movie. I remember Zach Galifianakis as
this kind of pop culture figure,like him.
The image of him with the baby in the sunglasses, with the baby
with the sunglasses like, and him with the beard like, That's
like an image in my head. He was iconic for that.
And of course, there's the hot shell Ray song.
You know that tonight, tonight, yes, tonight on the edge of the
(33:53):
Hollywood song tonight. And there's a line where it's
like, and it kind of looks just like you mixed with Zach
Galifianakis. No, no, no.
I knew that line before I actually knew who the fuck Zach
Galifianakis was. But it is interesting, though,
to see some of these actors who are comedic actress today, like,
(34:13):
you know, like, I guess our biggest our biggest star for
comedies is I guess Ryan Reynolds at this point.
But you know, like, but like, but Ferrell came off the UCB or
I guess not NBC. He's probably one of the
groundlings. Daca Van Akis did like ferns and
did like stand up for years and years and years.
These people have to put in the work in order to be funny.
(34:34):
Like there are some people sure who who are like just naturally
kind of funny. But there's a difference between
people who've trained at it and these are two people who are
absolute masters at sketch who are coming into this.
They can really live in these characters.
And because also you also they sell it too.
And that's also why it also works so well as a commentary,
(34:55):
because they're not just doing these roles as like, you know,
like thin characters. They are really living in it.
Yeah, that's not it. There is like a depth to them,
especially in this movie. Like we said, Dylan McDermott
shows up as the campaign managerwho whose name is Tim Watley in
(35:15):
this movie, which is the same name as Bryan Cranston's
character on Seinfeld. I don't know if that's a
coincidence or what the deal is with that, but my ears
immediately perked up with that.You.
Watched a lot of Seinfeld. I did.
Also, Dylan McDermott was big inmy life at this moment.
American Horror Story. Well, no, I wasn't watching that
(35:37):
when I was like, 10, but I was watching a little show called
Hostages on CBS. What?
Hell yeah. With him and Toni Collette.
Toni Collette plays like this. Some political adviser, Dylan
McDermott, breaks into their house and holds her and her
family hostage. And that's the that's the plot
(35:59):
for the whole show. Yeah, it's like a whole.
It's like one season. Oh so like the miniseries are
got cancelled? No, it's.
It's contained. I had a lot of shows like that I
watched just because it was on when I was like young, like, you
know, like I was thinking like Raising Hope.
I'm thinking of the fine. Raising hope, yeah.
The Finder It was a one season show with Jeffrey Stolton,
(36:22):
Michael Clarke Duncan OK. And it was like, he finds things
in Florida and he was like an investigative guy.
And that was like my favorite show when I was a kid.
I don't think I know that one. Time goes on and the finders
forgotten history. Another funny bit is when I
think I have a debate where they're like trying to get Will
(36:44):
Ferrell to do the what the fuck?Is it the prayer?
The prayer and he's. Just he has no clue what it is.
So he's, oh, Sudakis, we have, we haven't even mentioned.
It I remember, should I say you said that I remember when he was
in this movie. Probably his funniest part is
when he's like doing charades for Pharaoh to like help mime
out the prayer. And the funniest part is like
(37:06):
thou shalt not be a temp, like the temptation.
And he does like the temptationsdance.
He's like the temptations. I must prefer some of those.
I I always prefer some of those bits that like are obviously a
satire, but also so real. Like I was like, oh, this could
have happened. Like I like this is like this is
like one step removed like scubafrom reality scuba.
(37:29):
Scuba. There's a funny scene where
Farrell is at another church andhe's like, it's like, it's like
one of those, like, snake churches where the fuck it is?
And he's like dancing Baptist. Yeah, some of the Baptist.
Like he's dancing with the snakes.
This snake, like, fucking bites him on the arm.
And he just starts like cursing like crazy.
The devil's in you. And then later he's like on TV
(37:51):
and he's like getting interviewed.
And they're like, why'd you get bit?
He's just like, it's for the poops.
Like, you know, this politician is like so hardwired to have his
lines, like, it's for the troops.
And then he's like, it's for thepoops.
Yeah. And then there's kind of this
rivalry. Our Galifianakis has a he has a
video with his son, not his son.A feral's son.
(38:16):
I guess I'm gonna call him Dab and it crushes Feral.
So Feral's so mad that he goes to.
So Feral's so mad that he goes to Galifianakis house and then
sucks with his wife and releasesa sex tape.
Yeah, and just tanks him in the polls.
But then Galifianakis comes backand shoots him in the leg.
Which is called back to Cheney. Yeah.
(38:39):
Yeah, that's why I was like, Oh my God, Adam McKay had these
ideas brewing in his head. He wanted to make me with a
twisted Dick Cheney. Does vice is vice good?
No memory of it. I saw it with my ex-girlfriend
and a random friend in theaters in 2018.
We were like 17 so I don't. Think it might secretly be
great? Shelf warmer Dick Cheney is a
(39:00):
shelf warmer Dick. Dick Cheney is a show for him.
That's more Bill Clinton. I don't know if I can do Bush.
He's on the path I did. I did not have sexual
intercourse with Dick Cheney. Just a little playful commentary
for y'all. I know y'all like that.
So my favorite bits of the movietoo is when Pharrell goes to he
(39:21):
goes to the House of he goes to the House of Zach Affinac's
character. I keep forgetting his name.
Marty Higgins. Marty Higgins.
And they have like, like in a 12lash of whiskey together.
And then Phil drives home in thecampaign car.
And then all of a sudden, here'sall of a sudden, here's Don
McDermott. You know what to do.
Yeah. He calls the cops on him.
(39:42):
And then Ferrell was so drunk hestealed the cup.
Yeah, he gets pulled over and then.
Steal the cow. Dash dash Cam footage that I I
was thinking like because I likeWill Ferrell, but he's never
been like one of my all time favourites.
But really really like I. I hate elf.
You got to open your heart, man.Elf is one of my least favorite
(40:04):
movies, period. Look I I understand the hate for
elf, but I really think that youare being way too hard on it.
I think you need to open your heart up and have some magic.
I have enough Christmas magic inother films.
You're like Jimmy Con. You're like Jimmy Con.
I am you. Would've been good in this
movie. Aw.
It's a weird role for Brian Cox.He's like 2 scenes and he's kind
(40:26):
of like useless. But give it to Jimmy Con.
Come on, give. It to Jimmy Con.
Give it to Jimmy Con. He was alive, but basically the
movie ends and Cam, or I'm sorry, Zach Elfenakis has to
like he loses, Will Ferrell wins, and then Will Ferrell's
like, actually I'm going to givemy position back to Zach
(40:49):
Elfenakis. Yeah, because he deserves it.
He really cares about the the people.
Yeah, but. Before that, before that, they
have like this heart to heart and they like kind of connect
and relate to each other becausethey find out that they both
grew up around the same playground and.
Well, they don't. Well, yeah, it's kind of they
(41:11):
all, it's a they all kind of know each other.
Like it's a very small district and early on, like Suds like
refers to refers to him as tickle shits.
I'm sure it's Suds who like, youknow, like references that.
So like he went to school with them but they have no memory of
them really. Yeah, right.
And you know, Pharaoh has like this scar on his arm from this
(41:35):
rusty slide that was in their, like, neighborhood.
And Galvan Atkins is like, yeah,like I have AI have a scar too.
And he shows him his scar and it's like identical.
And he's like, Oh my God, like we're brothers.
It's like, disgusting. And then Galvan Atkins, like,
pulls up his shirt. He's like, Oh yeah, I got, I got
cut pretty bad by the slide. And it's like the most like
(41:57):
grotesque, like body horror, like practical scar running all
around his body. And it's pretty grotesque, but
hilarious. And that's kind of the end of
the movie. Oh, and then and I guess it kind
of ends with the maid out of Brian Cox, who he makes do like
(42:17):
an old, like a racist voice. Yeah.
And then she also works as like a, what do you call that person?
Like someone that serves people.Yeah, she's like she.
Serves Aykroyd and John Lithgow.No no, no, no.
I mean like literally. Oh literally she serves there
like a legal. Notice, Yeah.
Yeah, So they go, there's like this knock on the door, and it's
(42:39):
like this really cartoonish, like Hispanic voice.
And they're like, oh, like she'slike, let us let me in, let me
in. So then they're like, oh, OK.
And they open the door and it's her again.
And she serves the match brothers and they take him to
court. Who are also like, I feel like
this movie, like, listen, it moves so fast that like you only
spend all the time with some supporting characters.
(42:59):
So like you have like, you know,like Dan Aykroyd in this movie
and he's like not funny. No, it's like weird.
It's like, yeah, it's like he's in like 3 scenes that he's not
funny. Yeah.
I do have some production. Facts for me was.
So as we kind of reference Galifianakis, his character,
like his portrayal of Marty Huggins, is based on his
(43:20):
fictitious twin brother Seth Galifianakis, which spawned from
the Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion from 2006,
which might be worth a watch. The exterior shot of the March
mansion is the same mansion thatis supposed to be Wayne Manor in
(43:41):
the 60s Batman show. Oh interesting.
So I'm not even sure how something like that happen.
This is some weird like IMDb. Somebody did the math where it's
like with a large budget of 95,000,000 and the film's
runtime of only 85 minutes, it means the films spend over
(44:02):
1,000,000 per minute of final footage.
Wow. Which I don't think the the
sentence that, but you kind of get the point.
Yeah, I don't know if it's like a.
Screen thing or 1,000,000 per minute?
We were which like, you know, oh, oh, oh, like red screenplay,
one page is one minute. I don't know if that really
tracks on screen. But it's a million per minute.
No, definitely not. And the last thing I have here
(44:25):
is Randy Bachman of the Bachman Turner Overdrive Band is seen on
stage playing his hit Taking care of Business, and they don't
even really show a shot of him. But that was the real guy who
made that. Does anybody know who that is?
That's what I'm saying. Like I think it's it reminded me
of kind of like this era of comedies where you would have
(44:46):
like the real artist like cameo in these comedy movies.
But sure, by 2012, it's like kind of late in the game for
studio comedies. Like they don't even fucking
dwell on it. Like it's literally in the
background and it's actually theguys who made the hit song, but
they don't even get like shout out.
Yeah, I mean, like, you know, this movie's not getting like,
you know, like Bruce Springsteen.
No, that would be great. Bruce Springsteen boy run yo.
(45:14):
I love Cam Brady. I love Cam Brady.
Modi Hogan shucks, sometimes political campaigns are hard.
Me and my friend Obama endorsed Cam Brady.
We're a couple of the kings of podcasts.
We're a couple of Renegades. Just like my friend Cam Brady.
(45:35):
How about how about some slaves in this movie?
Oh, we can pair well together. I got 3 movies that you can
watch alongside the campaign. Hit me with it.
So these are three election based movies.
Is one of them election? Yeah, one of them is Election,
which is a funny, funny Alexander Payne movie.
Who? Honestly, the way Alexander
(45:55):
Payne looks, I kind of get him confused with the way Jay Roach
looks and the way Doug Lyman looks.
Like if you showed me pictures of all three of those guys, I'd
be like, they all kind of have the same vibe.
But Elections are really great movie.
It's funny and it kind of gets more in the nitty gritty of like
an actual campaign and the cut, a similar kind of cutthroat
(46:16):
mentality. I've got the war room here,
which is. Have you seen that?
I've done now. It's a doc about Clinton's first
campaign in 92. And that's where you see like
George Stephanopoulos and James Carville and you kind of see
their way of making a true campaign and kind of playing
(46:38):
dirty but playing by the rules and getting, you know, the first
Democrat elected in, you know, 12 years.
So it is. And it's all real and it's all
real footage. And it's what's his face.
DA Pennebecker. Oh cool.
So it's like a it's a legit doc.And then the last one I got here
is Game Change, which is Jay Roach's came out the same
(47:02):
fucking year, 2012 really. And it's about the McCain, Sarah
Palin ticket. And Julianne Moore plays Sarah
Palin. Ed Harris plays John McCain.
I did not know about this movie.And it's bizarre.
And Woody Harrelson plays Steve Schmidt, the campaign manager,
(47:25):
and that came out the same year and was directed by J Roach.
Busy guy, his political aspirations.
Yeah. So Andrew, would you take this
off the shelf or would you just let it be, let it collect dust?
You know what, I would take it off the shelf.
I'm happy. You know, like I said, I think I
(47:46):
vaguely saw this when I was a kid maybe, or I saw part of it
with my dad. And it's something that kind of
had on my mind for the last 13 years.
So I kind of got the, I got the satisfaction of seeing it
finally. You know what made me laugh?
Tight movie. It is tight.
So I'm happy I picked it up. It was a little hot.
It was warm. You know what?
I put it back and it was smoldering.
(48:10):
Scolding. Scolding hot.
Yeah. I mean, I have to agree.
I would kind of take it off the shelf, check it out, have a
chuckle, and then, you know, putit back up indefinitely.
Yeah, maybe I'll revisit the clips on YouTube of like the
dinner rooms, dining room scene and catch some of the clips on
(48:31):
YouTube, but overall, pretty good.
Well, that's our show. Thank you for listening.
We'll catch you next time. Thank you for listening to Shelf
Warmers. New episodes drop every
Wednesday. You can follow us on social
media at Shelf Warmers dot Podcast where we can send us
movies to take off the shelf forfuture episodes.
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