- **** ELECTION, the first MTV production to receive an R-rating and the first to receive critical acclaim, is one of those movies which are so remarkably inventive that it's hard to explain the plot. You just know you liked it. The movie centers around what Broderick calls, "the whole election mess," or the election for student government president. It begins with Tracy Flick (Witherspoon) as an overly ambitious student being the only candidate (or person running) for president.
Broderick, a teacher at the school, convinces a popular football player to run against her in the interest of democracy--so she wouldn't hold a monopoly on the election--or so Broderick says. Are those his real intentions? He gives a sneakily sly performance as a seemingly innnocent teacher.
Without going too far into the plot, all hell starts breaking loose when someone decides to run against Tracy. One other thing I should mention: Broderick doesn't like Tracy, because he knows something most people about the nerdy over-achiever. She's pretty good in bed, or so says his colleague who got fired told him. Nobody knows about her little affair with a teacher, one of Broderick's friends.
One person who liked this movie said its message might be, "It's the trouble makers that cause problems, but it's the over-achievers that can drive you insane." I'd say that's pretty accurate.
A brilliant, funny movie, ELECTION can also give you scares. For instance, it may make you think twice about things you throw in the garbage--things you think people won't read. Each of the side characters, such as the football player's little sister, are all interesting and real characters down to the core (which the reviewer I mention above said, "Made movies like the Breakfast Club classics."). They give this quirky movie its power.
Unfortunately, ELECTION won't see the box-office success MTV's previous movies, such as the ridiculous Varsity Blues, have. Somehow, the real good movies never get noticed. Everyone is too busy looking for this weekend's Varsity Blues.
A NOTE ON THIS REVIEW: I wrote the review for this movie way back on May 16, when I saw it, for English class extra credit. Since then, the movie made little to almost no impact in the box-office. Where did you people go?
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