OPINION: Political commentary on political comedies—sometimes satire hides the truth

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a movie worth? I sat down this week and watched four political comedies. They all made me laugh; however, each film exposes flaws in the U.S. political system and leaves me with several concerns. I encourage others to watch these films and form their own opinions. These films are not ranked in any particular order, and each has its merits.

The Campaign

 If viewed solely in a comedic light, it is a solid entry and this 2012 R-rated comedy is hilarious. I am a big fan of Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis. However, its satire can be quite alarming if viewed from a political perspective. The film casually establishes early on that wealthy interests hold all the cards in Washington, D.C. Zach Galifianakis' character Marty Huggins is a political nobody whose father is contacted by the Motch brothers, a thinly veiled parody of the Koch brothers, who want to fund a candidate to run against the unopposed incumbent Cam Brady, played by Will Ferrell. Funding Marty's campaign will allow the Motch brothers to bring Chinese workers to the district to work for the same wage as they would in China without paying to ship the goods produced from China to America. Though this is a silly concept, it is not uncommon to see business leaders with enormous wealth throwing their weight around in our political system. 

As the campaign grows progressively more brutal, the movie reaches a fever pitch when in response to Marty getting Cam's son to call him dad, Cam has an affair with Marty's wife. This is obviously an outlandish set of actions, but it is buried within a satirical dynamic we have become all too accustomed to. Campaigns are nasty, especially in our modern political climate. Near the end of the film, Marty discovers the truth behind why the Motch brothers are funding his campaign and vows to work against them. This comedy is satire at its best. Its depiction of money and the brutal rivalry among competing candidates is both poignant and hilarious. I would love to see a similar film made in the post-Trump era.

My Fellow Americans

This political comedy from 1998 is notably less vulgar than "The Campaign," but it has plenty of adult-themed moments. The film stars Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two former presidents, who hate each other, forced to travel cross country to expose the current president's corruption scandal. The two are coerced into working together to clear their names and save their lives, as the current president had planned to kill them to hide the cover-up. It's a great adventure comedy that also addresses serious matters. The scene that sticks out the most to me is when the family they are hitching a ride with asks them to leave their car. The mother of the family explains that she and her husband lost their jobs due to the policy decisions of one of the former presidents and lost their home because of the economic downturn caused by the other. Though this is a short plot point, it holds a powerful message. After everything is set right, the two former presidents find a new respect for one another and decide to run together. The movie is a fun romp, but it raises some important points on meaningless partisan debate and the importance of the common person's vote. 

Black Sheep

This is by far the silliest of the comedies I watched, the largest part of this movie is Chris Farley's character Mike finding themselves in stupid situations. The funniest moment is the extended scene of him screaming as he falls down a hill.

Mike's brother, Al, played by Tim Matheson, is running for governor of Washington state. Mike becomes a liability for the campaign due to his silly antics and strategic misrepresentations by the press. This causes him to be put in a single district in the middle of nowhere, far from the public eye. However, when it appears that Al has lost the race, Mike notices that more votes are cast than citizens in his district. After a scandal ensues surrounding the incumbent governor, Al is elected governor. Though the film is a comedy, it shows once again the cutthroat and brutal nature of our domestic politics. The press misrepresents Mike, who is good-natured and kind-hearted, while the incumbent governor is power-hungry and desperate to stay in office. This is the most common theme in these films and generally rings true in the real world. Though election fraud is not always as blatantly on display as in this film.

Wag the Dog

This is the least comedic of all the films I watched, but it is funny to an extent. The film also scares me. It was released in 1997, yet it shows the level of ease by which the American public can be deceived. 

In "Wag the Dog," a sex scandal involving the president and a teenage girl is leaked to the press just 11 days before election day. Conrad Brean, played by Robert De Niro, is called in to spin the narrative. He works with a Hollywood producer and powerful show business moguls to keep the public focused on anything but the president's sex scandal. They make threats of nuclear terrorism appear on the border, create a fake war and manufacture a narrative about a prisoner of war. They use the power of production magic to distract from the real truth. This concept concerned me greatly, especially once I considered how much more possible this plan would be in today's world of social media augmented reality, deep fakes and artificial intelligence. Overall, the movie shook me to my core; it is one thing to persuade people but another to gaslight the entire country.

I enjoyed watching these films, and I hope that if you find the time, you will enjoy them as well. Comedy is such an important medium because often, when you are smiling and laughing, you can also learn something that otherwise would have been too abrasive of a subject to approach on its own.