Election (1999) User Reviews

Flick for President?

[evanston_dad · 8/10 · 5 December 2005]

The Academy Award attention heaped on "Sideways" helped to make Alexander Payne a mainstream name among casual film goers, but many of us knew about his talent as a film maker long before. And his two more recent films--"Sideways" and "About Schmidt"--have been much gentler (thought still terrific) than his earlier efforts. Before "Election," Payne had already made "Citizen Ruth," a caustic, bracing satire of the abortion issue, and "Election" continued his penchant for harsh, uncomfortable comedy. I mean that in a good way, though. Payne's movies are funny, but they make you uneasy for laughing at them, and they have sharp, intelligent insights into the attitudes that drive American values.

In "Election," Payne uses a high school class presidential election as an opportunity to lampoon everything that's goofy about the American political system. Just as in our national elections for president, the winner is not necessarily the person with the most integrity, and honesty is a liability, not a virtue. The person who is willing to play dirtiest comes out on top, and elections aren't about who is most qualified but rather about who is most popular. And, the best part about the movie is its acknowledgement of voter apathy. Most Americans don't really give a damn, something that makes them not so different from the majority of high schoolers who don't even understand the point of having a class president to begin with. In fact, in the film's best scene, the assembly at which each candidate gives her/his campaign speech, one of the candidates (who joins the race out of spite) gets the best reception from the crowd when she encourages everyone not to vote at all.

Reese Witherspoon gives a wonderful performance as Tracy Flick, the school's most likely to succeed, whose goodie-goodie exterior hides the fact that she's willing to do just about anything to get ahead. Matthew Broderick is refreshingly unlikable as a social studies teacher who would like to see Tracy fail just once, until the fact that his own life is falling apart turns this wish into an obsession. And Chris Klein has some fun as the dopey, Jesus-following popular guy who becomes Tracy's arch rival, but never really even knows it.

Payne doesn't tidy up his film's moral messages. On the one hand, Tracy is obnoxious, and we want to see her fail as much as Broderick's character does. But she does know how to play the game, and isn't that part of what makes someone a good leader? We sympathize with Broderick up to a point, but his motives really are driven by a personal vendetta, not by any altruistic ideal of right vs. wrong. So if you normally need someone to root for in order to enjoy a movie, you're probably not going to like this one.

But who expects a hero?...I mean, come on, we're talking about American politics here.

Grade: A

"Dear Lord Jesus, I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow"

[Terrell-4 · 8/10 · 1 April 2008]

"Dear Lord Jesus," prays Tracy Flick the night before the election for student body president, "I do not often speak with you and ask for things, but now, I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow because I deserve it and Paul Metzler doesn't, as you well know. I realize that it was your divine hand that disqualified Tammy Metzler and now I'm asking that you go that one last mile and make sure to put me in office where I belong so that I may carry out your will on earth as it is in heaven. Amen."

Tracy (Reese Witherspoon) is an overachieving senior in suburban George Washington Carver High School (where the student body is all white). What Tracy wants, she gets, using a combination of single-minded hard work, bright smiles as phony as a television infomercial, eager volunteering and a ruthlessness that varies between chirpiness and squinted eyes. As Tracy says, quoting her Mom, "The weak are always trying to sabotage the strong."

Then one of Tracy's teachers, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) decides the world needs to be saved from Tracy. He talks one of the school's popular football athlete's to run against Tracy. From now on Jim has his hands full trying to sabotage Tracy's relentless campaign, impregnate his wife, convince himself his next door neighbor, a recent divorcée, is really going to understand him if they can only check into a motel for a couple of hours...and deal with the consequences of everything he set in motion.

Election, written and directed by Alexander Payne, is one of the funniest, darkest satires of human behavior since Jonathan Swift recommended that the poor should simply sell their children to be eaten by the rich. There are a lot of teenagers in this movie, but it's not just another teen-age movie. We're looking at the ludicrous depths to which ambition and good intentions, when mixed with politics, can take us. If that seems ponderous, it's about as ponderous as Tracy Flick's mom writing compulsively to people like Connie Chung and Elizabeth Dole asking for advice. (Never give up on your dreams is the usual reply.)

The script moves from the exaggerated to the outlandish with great style. The actors deliver the goods with deadpan sincerity and self-serving honesty. Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick hits the bull's-eye with unnerving accuracy. She is so sincere in her insincerity, which is, in Tracy Flick's own way, completely sincere, that Witherspoon makes us smile and shudder at the same time. As outstanding as she is, Matthew Broderick is the heart of the movie. Jim McAllister is part lech, part nebbish, but mostly good guy. It's a funny, almost poignant performance. Payne's script and Broderick's acting give us a perfect ending that's just as brittle, cool and amusing as the rest of the movie.

I like Election a lot. I hope as time passes the movie isn't forgotten.

One of the most pleasurable aspects of the film is its total lack of sentimentality

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 6 December 2008]

High-school comedies became popular because the milieu was familiar to a large proportion of the film-going audience… But the best examples of the genre in the 1980s and 1990s satirized not only the constant battle of the sexes, but other elements in American life… The frequent struggles between jocks and nerds were a kind of microcosm of the class difference which is supposed not to exist in the United States…

In "Election," one of the best examples of this popular genre, much of the humor is at the expense of the 'democratic' process… The film's guiding insight is that in practice democracy reduces to a popularity contest, in which dirty tricks are the norm…

Tracy is a Nebraskan high-school blonde who is brilliant and hard-working… She is standing for election as student president… Played by Reese Witherspoon, Tracy is bright and intolerant, eaten up by ambition and her ruthless determination to win… She is regarded with disgust by a career teacher and student adviser, Jim McAllister, for her self-righteousness, and also for her role in the dismissal of his fellow teacher Dave after a sex scandal… Jim encourages student football star Paul to stand against Tracy

Cynical - just the way I like them!

[AsharaDayme · 20 February 2000]

This is quite simply one of the finest movies I have ever seen. It has incredible pace and flair, with both the script and the direction demanding equal attention. And it just works so well on so many levels. Whilst it is a political satire, it also stands well as a story in its own right. It's great to see Matthew Broderick in a good film. Reese Witherspoone turns in what I consider to be a career-best, and Chris Klein is wonderfully endearing as a jock with a heart of gold.

What I really love about Election is the way its pace doesn't let up at all. By the time you've finished you feel like you've seen a good two and a half hours of movie. It's the only film I know that seems longer than it is in a good way.

This film made me laugh out loud more than any other I can remember that isn't just a dumb comedy. But Election also doesn't take itself too seriously. The direction can accurately be described as deadpan - with Chris Klein, stripped of his ability to play football, gazing soulfully out to sea, and falling asleep over a book on philosophy. The way that each major character is afforded a voice-over, giving us an amusing insight into their psyche, is a wonderful technique, and the freezeframes of Reese Witherspoone's contorted facial expressions truly are moments to treasure.

What more can I say? Election is smart, funny, and biting. It maintains its brilliance for the entire duration of the movie, and the ending is wholly satisfying. In fact, I can't actually think of one word of criticism. You'll have to search long and hard to find a better film anywhere, which is why I'm giving it a stellar nine out of ten.

When it focuses on the High School it's at its best

[estebangonzalez10 · 6/10 · 27 December 2013]

"You see, you can't interfere with destiny, that's why it's destiny. And if you try to interfere, the same thing's just going to happen anyway, and you'll just suffer."

Election is Alexander Payne's sophomore film and many consider it to be his best work since it uses some slick and witty dark humor to make a satirical political comedy. Payne manages to mix this political satire with High School life by using the school elections as a metaphor for American politics and in doing so the film is rather successful. Just like that famous short essay written by Robert Fulghum "All I Really Need to Learn I Learned in Kindergarten" where he claims that if we sticked to the basic rules we learned in kindergarten we would live in a better society, here Payne compares politics to High School elections and shows how corrupt the system actually can be and how selfish these people are. The dirty campaigns all begin in High School and these people seem to be doing things for themselves rather than to help others. I think this is what works best in Payne's ambitious film. I enjoyed the scenes that took place in the High School, but when Payne takes us out of the school to the characters homes it kind of loses its magic. I didn't care very much about their lives outside of school. One of the things that Payne does best is create interesting characters and that is why the actors give engaging performances because they have a lot to work with. These characters are usually dislikable, but somehow we end up routing for one despite all their flaws. Reese Witherspoon's character is so annoying that we actually want Matthew Broderick to succeed despite all the immoral acts he is committing. They both give strong performances, although compared to other Payne films I thought they were the weakest characters. Sideways still remains as my favorite Payne film, but his work here obviously opened a lot of doors for him. Payne is one of the best when it comes to creating Midwestern American characters.

Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is a very driven and ambitious student from Carver High who has high goals and expectations for her life. One of those goals is becoming class president, and despite the fact that she is running unopposed she still dedicates most of her time in school to achieving this. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is one of her teachers, but he doesn't like her very much because she had an affair with his best friend, Dave (Mark Harelik), a former teacher who got expelled from school when the director found out. Jim, who is married to Diane (Molly Hagan), decides to complicate things for Tracy by convincing the school jock, Paul (Chris Klein) to enter the race. When Paul's lesbian sister, Tammy (Jessica Campbell), discovers that he is campaigning for class president, she decides to run as well to pay him back for dating a former love interest of hers. And soon what seemed to be a simple election becomes chaotic as the dirty campaign begins. Will Tracy achieve her goal or will her teacher crash her dream?

The film has each character describe the events that are going on through voice over narrations. At first I thought it didn't work very well as it took me out of the story, but then I understood what Payne was trying to achieve (or at least this is what it transmitted to me), by letting his characters narrate what they were experiencing we understood what they were trying to achieve, the way they wanted others to see them, but of course their actions were completely opposite to the way they wanted to be perceived. It was like their own mask, because they were nothing like what they wanted to be perceived as (take Jim for example who considered himself a likable and influential teacher, but really he ends up being quite the opposite). The characters in this film are very well developed, but they were probably my least favorite from a Payne film. I wasn't a big fan of Chris Klein's performance, but the rest of the cast was pretty strong. The dark humor was witty, but it just wasn't my cup of tea and didn't care for any of the characters. Election may be one of Payne's most ambitious and satirical films, but I would rather sit through Sideways a hundred times than seeing these characters again.

One of the best dark comedies ever

[Timmy210 · 10/10 · 15 July 2003]

Election is easily my favorite comedy and one of my top ten favorite movies of all time. It brings out the best in most of it's cast and the stylistic quality of the film is both outrageous and subtle at the same time. However, the most amazing part of Election is that it makes an incredible movie and bases it around a subject so simple as a high school election.

But do not be fooled by it's simplicity in basic plot because hiding behind it's summary is a film that truly was underappreciated and very underrated. MTV has never and will never again get a movie as stunning as this.

Reese Witherspoon gives the performance of her career by playing Tracy Flick, a neurotic, self-obsessed go getter with a somewhat dark past that puts her on edge with Jim McCalister, a teacher who truly will stop at nothing to bring her down.

I will not say any more about Election except that those who have not seen this movie are truly missing out on an amazing film

Not Tracy's fault

[amandaorsburn · 6/10 · 14 June 2022]

Entertaining enough, but I hate the interpretation I keep seeing that Tracy Flick is the villain. This girl a lot, but she absolutely did not "create havoc" on her teacher's life. This grown ass man 100% brought his downfall on himself.

One of the best 'high school' movies

[napierslogs · 9/10 · 7 July 2010]

"Election" is a dark comedy - dark and funny. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is an over-achiever and creates havoc in the life of her teacher (Matthew Broderick) as the school elections approach.

I have to echo the sentiment that this is one of the best (if not the best) movie set in a high school. It's hard to even call it a high school movie as the topics encompass a broader range, and it's a very intelligent and thoughtful script. It's dramatic with its dark situations, and at the same time it's a very smart comedy.

Starring a young Reese Witherspoon who proves her bright future and Matthew Broderick who is perfect in the role and floats effortlessly between drama and comedy. A well deserved Oscar nomination for Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for the screenplay. Their other movies include "About Schmidt" (2002) and "Sideways" (2004).

"Election" is one of the best films of its kind. I recommend it.

Morally corrupt ... and very funny

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 21 July 2023]

Bit of an attention-getter, this one.

Not only does it turn the high school movie on its ear with effective political satire (written and executed with care) but it features stellar performances from Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. The former feels like she was born to play the obnoxious overachiever while the latter embodies a disastrous midlife crisis that's just pure cringe (the guy is off-the-wall sleazy).

Most of the humor is in the dialogue, but there are plenty of laughs in the comical freeze frames and aly editing. I didn't know what to make of this movie back in '99, but this time around was thoroughly caught up in the dark humor. "Election" is sharp, witty and depraved in the most entertaining way.

I can't speak highly enough of Witherspoon here; she is hysterical.

An outstanding satire

[androoren · 10/10 · 1 February 2005]

Ethics and Morals

I'm not generally a fan of excessive voice-over and quirky, stylised direction but here it's all done so well. It seems to suffer from that classic "this film didn't make sense" style of review, but it clearly does. A wonderful script with a great mix of slapstick and intelligent comedy and winning performances from Broderick, a brilliant Reese Witherspoon and the normally hapless Chris Klein.

And, yes, it has sex in it. It's hardly titillating and is always completely relevant to the plot. But if you simply hate seeing sex (not nudity, of which there is very little) in films then you won't like it.

It beats Rushmore to the 'best film set in a high school' award.

A fun, cynical film

[Agent10 · 8/10 · 29 April 2002]

For some reason, this film has always brought a laugh to the bottom of stomach. Some people may call it boring due to the fact its not some gross-out teen comedy, but this is really the antithesis of a great satire. One can't see the scaly nature of politics simply because its always drowned in newspeak and bad reporting. But to see it at this level of understanding, it proves to be quite entertaining. It also provides a precursor to our most recent (2000) election. We have the longtime politician, the incompetent who people like, and the iconoclast who wants to shake up government. And of course, there is the cheating regulator who gets the wrong person elected for his own slimy means. Who would have guessed life would imitate art. A great film for all to see. Matthew Broderick is at his best, Reese Witherspoon really sells her role, and I actually tolerated Chris Klein's role in this film.

Flawed, but worth seeing

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 30 April 2022]

Amusing and kind of like a much darker version of Ferris Buehler's Day Off, but there was an aspect to Election that kept me from loving it. The premise is that a high-school teacher (Matthew Broderick) has watched a colleague ruin his career by having a sexual relationship with a student (Reese Witherspoon), and rather than just controlling his own libido, prompts another student (Chris Klein) to run against her for class president in the hopes that she'll be defeated and he won't come in closer contact with her. I could never really get over that, especially as the young woman's ambition and intelligence was the target for a lot of the satire, as if the teacher who commented about how wet her pussy got was the victim, and not her. As there was no real harm to the girl and Broderick's character himself begins to fantasize about her, it's as if the behavior is normalized, which made me cringe.

It's not that Broderick's character isn't pilloried either though, because he is. He goes from trying to teach the kids the difference between ethics and morality to cheating on his wife and throwing his own career away, which I loved about the film. Talk about a rigged election. And while it feels like we've seen this kind of plot before, the multiple narrators and Klein's character, who is so good-natured, buoy the film. I also liked the third candidate, his bi-curious sister (Jessica Campbell), who runs a "burn it all down" kind of campaign out of jealousy over a friend. There's some dark commentary here about how sexual desire can disrupt personal integrity, but I think the film erred in the construction of Witherspoon's character, which was unfortunate. Worth seeing though.

Alexander Payne's uncompromising look at highschool politics. Foul-mouthed, sharp and funny

[Camera-Obscura · 28 October 2006]

With me, Alexander Payne can do no wrong. Before he entered Hollywood's big league of directors with ABOUT SCHMIDT and SIDEWAYS, he made this remarkable film about a highschool election. But this is hardly your average highschool flick, this is an intelligently written, foul-mouthed film, filled with colorful characters and plenty of laughs in the process.

In a pitch-perfect role, Reese Witherspoon is Tracy Flick, one of those irritating girls that are always in the front row, always raise their hand and wanna do something for the sake of the school, read, for their own resume. Tracy Flick is one of those, a fiercely calculating careerist who will stop at nothing to get the main prize, the office of student body president at Carver High. Since she's running unopposed, nothing seems in her way at getting what she wants, again. History teacher and student government adviser Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller reversed) seems content with his life, but is worn out by his love-less marriage, and by the plight of his best friend and colleague, sacked for sleeping with consenting but under age Tracy Flick. With the coming elections, McAllister is appalled by the prospect of working closely with this little nagging career bitch, and charged with overseeing the proceedings, discreetly sponsors a rival candidate, dumb but popular jock Paul Metzler (Chris Klein), to enter the election. But when Paul's sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell), an embittered and unpopular girl announces her candidacy, the election becomes a really back-biting and nasty affair, with Jim McAllister getting more than he bargained for.

I think this film might appeal even more to adults than teenagers. If you like Alexander Payne's uncompromising approach to his subjects, this will definitely be up your alley, with everything from lesbianism to adultery thrown in the mix. Ideally casted all the way, with Matthew Broderick, after a number of uninteresting roles in lame movies, really making his mark. He gives his role a sort of understatement that makes Mr. McAllister a hopelessly tragic, but utterly lovable loser.

Camera Obscura --- 9/10

And You Thought Bush And Gore Were Bad!

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 21 July 2001]

Humorous but not outrageously funny, this rather dark comedy (at least I found it so) dealing with the politics of a an election for student council president is carried by decent enough performances from Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Broderick plays Jim McAllister, an earnest and well-meaning teacher who is responsible for overseeing the campaign, while Witherspoon is Tracey Flick, the whiney, over-achieving and over-zealous frontrunner who always - much to McAllister's dismay - gets everything her own way. And so, McAllister recruits the injured star of the school football team (Paul Metzler, played by Chris Klein) to run against her. Metzler is then himself challenged by his own sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell), who wants revenge against him because she feels he stole away from her the girl that she was in love with. Related to all this is the account of the devastating impact all these shenanigans have on McAlister's personal life.

Overall I liked this movie. The subplot around McAlister's troubled marriage was a part of that dark dimension I spoke of earlier, and added a serious touch to an otherwise rather silly story. There was also an ongoing and thought-provoking issue of the consequences that have to be faced when people abuse their authority and take advantage of those who are more vulnerable. In a sense, I guess, that has partly to do with why I only rate this movie a 6/10. I found it difficult to really like a movie that used an affair between a high school teacher (Dave Novotny, played by Mark Harelik) and a sophomore high school student (Witherspoon's character, who as a sophomore would have been 14 or 15?) as the opening to a comedy. I'm sure the intention wasn't to take such things lightly, but I thought the whole thing was a little bit in bad taste.

Setting that aside, though, "Election" is an enjoyable enough movie.

Underrated Classic

[df16699n · 10/10 · 8 November 2022]

Tracy Flick and Jim McAllister go together like ethics and morals, apples and oranges and destiny and fate in this satirical gem. Writer & Director Alexander Payne does a fantastic job in this film from 1999 which still holds up today. Despite being released nearly 25 years ago, this film still remains relevant today and the jokes never get old. The characters in this film are all written perfectly and the casting is outstanding. The scenes between Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon are terrific, as well as every scene with Chris Klein as football player turned student council president candidate, Paul Metzler. Matthew Broderick going from high school rebel Ferris Bueller to Mr. Ethics & morals Mr. McAllister is a fun and ironic arc for the actor especially considering the iconic nature of both films. With all the classic films that are being adapted into broadway plays/musicals today, I would be intrigued to see an Election stage play adaptation in the future and I wouldn't be surprised if this happens at some point. With all this being said, Election is an absolute classic that is very underrated and should be considered among the best satirical comedies of the last 25 years. I can't recommend this film highly enough, it is fun, bizarre, hilarious and so much more, it is guaranteed to be a fun watch. My vote for best high school satire goes to Election.

Witherspoon and Broderick make this work

[SKG-2 · 8/10 · 19 November 1999]

I don't know how many people who saw ELECTION saw Alexander Payne's previous film, CITIZEN RUTH(1996). That film was a satire on abortion, with Laura Dern as a pregnant homeless woman with several children already taken away by social services, and who is caught in a tug-of-war between pro-choice and pro-life activists. I've never seen an abortion satire before, so that was fresh, but all the characters where instead caricatures, so it was difficult for me to laugh. And the points were made with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer swatting a fly.

ELECTION suffers somewhat from that problem, but most of it works. Much of that, of course, is due to Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Both of them embody their characters down to a T, and while they show us their flaws and their laughable parts, they also made them human beings. As much as we're meant to dislike Tracy, for example, I actually felt sorry for her when she talked about being lonely. And how events proceed between them is logical and well-told.

Less well-done is Chris Klein as the jock who runs against Tracy. He's likeable at times, but I could see Klein condescend to him and make him a boob at times(as his sister Tammy, on the other hand, Jessica Campbell makes a good impression; I was actually surprised at an action she took, though it does make sense). I also thought the sexual repression stuff was obvious and overdone, especially when Broderick sees and hears Tracy when he's making love. We got that already. Nevertheless, this is often funny and biting.

it's a long way to the top (if you want to win an election)

[dbdumonteil · 7/10 · 8 February 2003]

This movie broaches an election. It isn't absolutely a presidential or legislative election. Simply, this election takes place in an American high school and it must elect a student for the following role: the president's board of the students. This is what Reese Witherspoon would like to become and she stands in this election. But one of his teachers, Matthew Broderick isn't prepared to accept that and in order to stand in her way, he asks one of his students, Chris Klein to stand fin the election. Broderick asked him to do this because he knows that Klein is very appreciated in the high school for his good mood and his happiness. And so, things get hard... It's obvious that Klein hasn't got Witherspoon's ambitions. He comes from a wealthy family and aspires to a quiet and idle life. Whereas Tammy Metzler, Klein's sister, well it's more in an idea of revenge and jealousy against her brother (he unvoluntarily charmed Metzler's lover who is a lesbian) that she applies for being president.

Election is, of course a satiric comedy that deregulates the bases of an election. All in all, people and especially teenagers don't get interested in it because it brings nothing to their lives. It inspires them indifference and boredom, the same feelings that shine the Americans towards the political life. When Witherspoon and Klein are making their speeches (that use all the processes of the rhetoric. like political men, they're talking for saying nothing) in front of the pupils, these ones are laughing at them whereas Tammy's one provokes their happiness and enthusiasm because it's all the contrary of a banal speech. Moreover, Klein will prefer to vote for Witherspoon rather than him, this last one will find out before the verdict in front of the pupils that she won. Due to this, Matthew Broderick will try to unsettle the election's final results. As far as Matthew Broderick is concerned, well we can say that this election is the beginning of the end for him: Witherspoon's despising him, he can't distinguish his private and professionnal life any more and his real intentions towards Witherspoon will earn him the personal's hate and his departure from the high school. Reese Witherspoon is really talented and her character doesn't really attract the liking. Moreover, Alexander Payne tries to underline his ambitious side by making her ridiculous (her speech of candidature is ridiculous. She should conclude that no matter the way we take, we always find obstacles and nothing's far from certain. So at the end, it would be difficult to find a negative point to this comedy and however, I found one: it remains to deplore the vulgar and heavy side of the comedy which is nearly common in American comic films. Except this, "Election" is a clever and entertaining movie.

The Freshest Teen Movie For A Long Time

[emperor_weevil · 8/10 · 22 July 2004]

This film was a real gem. ITV showed it over the midnight hour and I think Election deserved a better time slot than this.

The film is told from several different points of view, so all viewers will enjoy watching it because they will like one of the intertwined story lines, in my opinion.

Matthew Broderick is excellent as the helpful teacher, as is Reese Witherspoon as the overambitious high school girl with a mean streak. Election contains a good mix of drama and comedy, especially some of the end scenes which almost remind me of the last scene in The Butterfly Effect. However, it doesn't linger on the drama for too long in the final scenes, which is a good thing as it left me with a smile on my face after having seen the film.

Overall, an excellent "teen" comedy which I highly recommend, if only for the sort-of feel-good ending.

Another 'youth' movie co-opted for middle-aged angst.

[alice liddell · 6/10 · 4 October 1999]

The problem with films like HEATHERS, which purported at last to give an undiluted approximation of teenage experience, was that they were afraid to go all the way. Nihilistic energy and rebellious apathy, say, was allowed to be amusing, but never defining: it was something we grow out of. This was patronising and offensive, and the way such films had a hidden, moral, 'parental' agenda was a complete betrayal of those for whom they presumed to speak. HEATHERS is a fun film, but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth - and I'm not talking about the murder spree.

Lately, though, films have come along, which, like LES 400 COUPS, relate adolescent experience from an adolescent point of view, coloured by an adolescent framework. This is not to say the films aren't adult or complex, it's just that the grown-ups' memories have not a mocking 'mature' commentary undermining them. RUSHMORE is the most obvious example, although SOUTH PARK is perhaps the idea's apotheosis.

All of this is by way of saying that ELECTION seemed to be continuing this trend. We are offered four voiceovers - four points of views - which leads us to expect a splintered, cubist view of experience, an unloaded battle between youth and authority as well as youth against youth (much more dramatic). Unfortunately, there aren't really four points of view at all, just one - that of a self-righteous, feckless loser of an Ethics teacher (although the irony of having former youth star Matthew Broderick playing him is very funny). For all its youthful sheen and energy, this is yet another white man's mid-life crisis.

This is all the more surprising considering the film was made by MTV. There was a lot of sneering at this, as if the film would be just a glorified pop-video, filled with no-brainer tricks. As it is, ELECTION is funnier, more clever and better made than most of the rubbish churned out contemptuously by major and indie alike this year. The main problem is that the style isn't worked out properly. The film fairly bounces along, with day-glo sets, stylised performances and dialogue, smart, oblique situations, breezy pacing, funny editing, sketch-like construction, odd camera angles. This is perfectly in keeping with a film about adolescent crises, but surely not with the story of a burned-out, washed-up, frustrated failure. It could be argued that the style represents manic youth impinging on his life, but the fact is that his problems have nothing (directly) to do with his pupils - they are the archetypal traumas of a man his age.

ELECTION is still a very enjoyable film. The individual teenagers are a clever microcosm of America, with the go-getters doing well, but the dorky rich kids doing just fine too. The figure of Paul is the (unscathed) object of the film's best satire - he is the archetypal football jock - rich popular, an absolute idiot, who takes everything in his beaming, moronic stride, knowing that everything's going to be just dandy, whatever setbacks pop up. He is such a braindead goofball, you revel in Tracy's every attempt to thwart him - better the hard-working go-getter than the smug parasite.

She's a bit frightening too, though, and it's typical of the film's older male bias that she's plainly a caricature, only saved by Reece Witherspoon's brilliant observation of the neurosis, fear and anxiety behind the brittle confidence. The story of Paul's sister is the film's most appealing and moving, a rare case of an actual human being getting through the net, although we could have done with more of her.

ELECTION is quite clever on politics too, on the overwhelming, yet perfectly understandable, even admirable apathy of a generation. Tracy's new conservatism is a joyless Orwellian horror, while the smug liberalism of Mr. M. (surely a nod to Fritz Lang's study of the corruption of childhood) is an ineffective fraud. The film is quite bleak about modern US politics; there is a brilliant running metaphor concerning rubbish and votes, about the confusion in the US between signs and signifiers, that says more about contemporary America than a thousand self-satisfied BOB ROBERTS' ever could. Still, a disappointment.

A polished, wickedly funny satire of high school life

[orson-13 · 9/10 · 15 April 1999]

Alexander Payne should jump into the front rank of comedy filmmakers with his second feature, "Election," a wickedly funny, beautifully acted satire of high school life, with a smash performance from Reese Witherspoon as a ruthless goody-two-shoes running for school president. Reversing his Ferris Bueller persona, Matthew Broderick is perfect as the naive (but inwardly corrupt) foil of those around him, playing a dedicated high school teacher whose one mistake unravels his life. Chris Klein, a newcomer, is perfect as a sweet, dumb guy also running for school president. The cinematography of James Glennon ("El Norte"), plus clever editing, including comical freeze frames, makes this a visually witty film that also has a clever script from Payne and Jim Taylor (based on Tom Perrotta's droll novel). The satire is cutting, the composition polished - and this flick is light years ahead of Payne's debut film, "Citizen Ruth." Delicious.

Election Erection

[michaelradny · 7/10 · 8 October 2015]

Election is cynical, satirical and sarcastic. Everything you can wonder about a teacher as a student comes true in this comedy, which lacks comedy (or at least any memorable moments). However, what it lacks in laughs it more than makes up for in the overall story. A story about revenge, discipline and role models; Election is just one of those films you can relate heavily to.

The problems that surround Election are almost counteracted by the good. Whilst labeled as a comedy, it more or less passes for a coming of age drama with satirical undertones, but nonetheless, Election is as honest as it can get.

Very mundane

[evans-j34 · 5/10 · 1 June 2022]

Pretty boring really. Had hoped for much better and that id have a few laughs but there reay wasn't any. All I took from this is what a horrible teacher to sabotage a hard working student. Reese performed great and was a different role for me to see her act.

Funny, with a bleak ending

[Seraphion · 6/10 · 11 May 2015]

The movie presents a story that's quite intertwined among the characters. The story shows the characters to be in some kind of a wheel of life. They are sometimes in control and having great events in life, and also sometimes are so down low and doing foolish things in life. The ending is so bleak that for me it dwarfs all those funny moments that had been established previously. Although bleak and contradicting, the movie depicts characters in extreme sides which sometimes are found in real life; the over achiever who turns out to be a friendless person, the responsible teacher who sometimes also falls into the pits of temptations, the kind person who is often clueless of life itself, and also the one who becomes a rebel after a rejection. The acting overall is a neat job. All the actors can portray their characters to the needed hyperbole. Matthew Broderick's simpleton acting gives good life to his character. Reese Witherspoon's overachiever character fits right to her face.

Quite a nice surprise

[ar656 · 8/10 · 11 January 2003]

I already knew that Matthew Broderick is one of the finest actors. But I was a bit wary of Reese Witherspoon. I had the idea that she was some kind of South Belle using her looks to get by. Boy, was I ever wrong!

The film is not just a comedy, but a drama, and a social commentary. The plot is so incredible that sounds true. All the characters are developed enough so they do not look like cartoons. And here is where the young Reese shows her talent. It is almost impossible not to play it like a caricature, but she does!

In the end, you feel that you have met most of the people depicted in the movie. The only part that was a bit difficult to believe was the two votes still being in the basket, so others could find them. But even that can be explained by a few psycho-analysts.

Fine movie, that will give entertainment, enjoyment, and a good conversation after viewing it. I would give it an 8/10.