Old Stuff
Election (1999)
Directed by Alexander Payne
I have to admit that, during the opening credits for "Election", I was deeply concerned by something I saw on the screen. Namely, it was the MTV logo, which appeared in all its glory along with the Paramount logo. The first time I saw the three letters that killed the radio star on a movie screen was when I saw "Varsity Blues", which consisted of a lot of slow-motion sequences of supposedly astounding football action with popular alterna-metal guitar riffs serving as the soundtrack. In other words, rock-n-roll football! So, now what? Rock-n-roll voting? Thankfully, my "Varsity Blues" chills went away when it became apparent that "Election" was going to be more than a lame semi-vehicle for the roster of bands currently in heavy rotation on the cable channel that turned out to be the highlight of Nina Blackwood's career.
A comedy that takes place in a Nebraska high school, "Election" centers on history teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) and student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Mr. McAllister is a typical high school teacher -- he drives a crappy little car and owns the classic wardrobe worn exclusively by educators and Radio Shack employees. Tracy, in her junior year, is the ultimate elitist and dominating overachiever, not only participating in every after-school club, but also running each one. Now, she wants to be president of the student council, too. By the time she graduates, Tracy will prove to be the downfall of two teachers at the school, for exactly opposite reasons.
At first, Tracy's bid for the presidency appears to be a mere formality because she is running unopposed. McAllister, who has always been annoyed by Tracy and her unrelenting efforts to always be at the top, sees an opportunity to put an end to her non-stop power mongering. He finds the most popular student in the school, the dumb but likable quarterback for the football team, and convinces him to run against Tracy. For reasons known only to one other person, the quarterback's lesbo-leaning younger sister suddenly jumps into the race, running on the "this is all meaningless bullshit" platform.
Director Alexander Payne ("Citizen Ruth") deserves two loving pats on the head: one for the realistic look of the film, and another for the efficiency with which he tells the story, concentrating only on the essential elements of the plot and characters. Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of the irritating, self-serving Tracy is so dead-on that I wanted to reach out to the screen and squeeze her neck like a toothpaste tube. Some of her priceless facial expressions are lovingly captured in stop-action splendor. Broderick, who started his career playing high school kids, switches to the teacher side and wears his symbolic bee sting with pride. He could easily fit into the faculty lounge at your beloved high school or, for that matter, behind the counter at your local Radio Shack. Chris Klein and Jessica Campbell (the quarterback and his sister, respectively) do justice to the jocks and disenchanted outsiders that you knew/hung out with/avoided/ignored, or perhaps "were". (Use the verb that fits best for you).
There are some sad and disturbing moments: the lives of two teachers are destroyed and we see how badly Tracy takes defeat, but Payne refuses to linger on these, choosing instead to downplay them and move on with the humor. Along with the obvious laugh-getters, there is also plenty of subtle humor sprinkled throughout the movie, which keeps the whole thing from being a one-note song. And, in what has developed into a trend lately, there is some wheelchair humor thrown into the mix. You'll laugh early and often. -- Rating: $6.75
Mike Santoro -- copyright 1999