Get your own Free Home Page
It's immediately obvious from the opening credits that Election is the most enjoyable, least juvenile release to date from MTV Films (although the dancing cockroaches in Joe's Apartment were pretty funny). Adding inter-gender warfare to a scholastic cross-generational battle of nerves like that in Rushmore, it's a cautionary tale about what can happen when too much ambition, too much boredom, and too many hormones get confined in too small a space.
Markedly older-looking Matthew Broderick plays Jim McAllister, a popular Omaha high school history teacher honored by his peers with three Teacher of the Year plaques in 12 years of service, and by his students with the easy appellation "Mr. M." for his easygoing but dedicated attitude. Except for a mild case of middle-aged crazy, he's a reasonably happy guy who's greatest challenge is trying to get his sweet, plain wife pregnant. A more daunting task arises when petulant, over-achieving junior Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon's best performance yet), whose too-tempting argyle-socks virginity was recently the downfall of Jim's best friend and coworker Dave, runs unopposed for student body president. Unable to brook the idea of simply handing her the office, Jim persuades popular, slow-witted, but sincerely likable quarterback Paul Metzler (newcomer Chris Klein, who's in the upcoming American Pie) to run. Tracy has faith that her tireless hard work can win out over his jockularity, but a wild card pops up when Paul's adopted lesbian sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell, also in her first film), jealous that the object of her recent infatuation is now her brother's girlfriend, impulsively decides to run against him. A near-suicidal anarchist, she gives a screw-you-I-don't-care pep speech that threatens everyone else's plans by tapping typical post-adolescent apathy toward authority figures. Meanwhile, Mr. M.'s life is getting increasingly derailed by his unexpected lust both for Tracy and Dave's ex-wife. Everything come together/flies apart in a chain of events that were particularly poignant to me because when I was a high school senior my transcripts never got sent to a couple universities I applied to, because the guidance counselor got fired for supposedly making passes at a couple girls I had dated.
Election is directed and co-written by Alexander Payne (Citizen Ruth), from the novel by Tom Perotta (there's a big clue for MTV: these things work better if you start with a good story). Using wonderfully dry, matter-of-fact narration that makes things more plausible and less lurid than the above synopsis suggests, Payne displays a simply, unhurried style that sets off the comic moments, framing absurdity with tense calm. Broderick's usually deadpan, unflappable demeanor makes his sudden indignant explosions that much funnier, as does Witherspoon's furiously preppie persona, captured perfectly in a couple hopelessly unflattering freeze-frame shots that had me falling out of my seat.
There's even at least one usable moral supplied: never, ever, piss off a janitor. B
Get your own Free Home Page