Summary
A high school teacher’s life begins to unravel as student council elections draw near.
My Thoughts
Alexander Payne has some very biting, slightly awkward, frequently funny films, and this is one of his great earlier entries. “Election” is based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, the author also behind “The Leftovers” and “Little Children”.It tells the story of a content man loosing his way, an overachiever destined to be great, an idiot with a heart of gold, and an underachiever with a secret. This film shows how a buildup of little annoyances can drive a well-respected man towards his primal instincts, and in the end, make him do something stupid.
The Candidates
(SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH)
One of the best parts of this movie is its development of an assortment of characters. Almost every character has their own voiceovers, giving insights into what they’re feeling, and all the characters are part of a complicated web of relationships. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick, “Godzilla (1998)”) is a high school teacher who really enjoys his job. He’s married, and he and his wife have been trying for children for a while, with no luck. Jim’s ex-best friend Dave (Mark Harelik, “Jurassic Park III”), used to work at the same school before he slept with Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon, “A Wrinkle in Time”), an honor student. Dave and Jim’s wives remain best friends, even though Dave and his wife are no longer together. Tracy Flick decides to run for Student Council, which means she’ll spend a lot more time with Jim. Jim, still irritated that Dave had sex with Tracy and was subsequently fired, decides he doesn’t want to spend time with Tracy, so he convinces Paul Metzler (Chris Klein, “We Were Soldiers”) to run against Tracy. Meanwhile, Paul’s sister, Tammy Metzler (Jessica Campbell), an underachiever and closeted lesbian, also decides to run for president because her brother unwittingly stole her girlfriend, Lisa Flanagan (Frankie Ingrassia, “Goliath”).
(SPOILERS END)
If you read the above section marked: spoilers, then you can probably tell that the relationships in this film are all needlessly complicated. It makes sense; this is a high school movie. Have you ever been to high school where drama and relationships weren’t needlessly complicated? One of the best parts about this movie is how Alexander Payne approaches these characters and their relationships; he does it making it seem that every little relationship is the biggest deal in the world. Tammy Metzler alters the course of her life specifically to get revenge on her brother, who unwittingly duped her- that sort of change is overblown and ridiculous, but… it’s also an obsessive, hormonal, teenage girl doing these things, so it makes sense to her character. The teenagers aren’t even the most impulsive people in this movie, though, that title belongs to Jim McAllister. Jim finds himself in a situation where he might be tempted to give in to his basic instinct, and because he knows how weak-willed he is, he decides he wants to avoid that temptation completely and upend a student election. In fact, almost all of the crisis in this film could be traced back to petty tiffs or easily explainable misunderstandings, the humor comes from the characters being too in their own heads to really do anything of use to help their situation.
The acting in this movie is pretty spot-on, too. Alexander Payne has a way with actors; in fact every movie he’s made since this one has earned at least one of the actors in it a nomination (save “Downsizing”). I believe this is Matthew Broderick’s finest performance (easily better than “Ferris”). Reese Witherspoon, though she was only twenty-three in this film, showed incredible amount of range; from snooty and stuck-up too devilishly devious. Even Chris Klein, who’s work I’m rather unfamiliar with, was absolutely hysterical.
Payne’s directing in this film is really great too. There are lots of semi-subtle allusions to the fact that, while we are all human, we’re all still animals, and subject to our base impulses. There’s a wonderfully hilarious recurring theme of tribal music playing almost anytime one character gets a shocking revelation or is given a chance to give in to those impulse. Another thing I love about Payne’s direction and writing in this movie is its ubiquitous use of voiceovers for all the major characters. He sometimes gives us insights into their thought process, and other times, we’re given a bit more backstory on different people. There are extended flashbacks and pseudo dream sequences. Overall, Payne has created a very unique viewing experience, for a movie that could’ve been very boring if told in a straightforward fashion.
Verdict
Before I go, I feel like I do have to give a trigger warning: this film does deal with a teacher/student relationship near the beginning of the story, but it’s never graphically detailed. Overall, Payne’s ingenuity and creativity with this story is what really set it apart. It’s a biting commentary on human nature and how close we are to animals, despite all of our ‘great’ achievements (like democracy). This film is funny and thought provoking, and it’s Matthew Broderick’s best; I absolutely recommend it.
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