Election (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com Member: Online Film Critics Society
**** out of ****
Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein. Rated R.
It comes as a walloping disappointment to moi that Election is being actively marketed as the latest derivative teen flick. Derivative it ain't, and it isn't a teen flick either, although mature teenagers are likely to enjoy it. Instead it is a brilliant, biting satire about crossing the very boundaries of dignity and sacrificing one's career for something one believes in -- or thinks he believes in.
Matthey Broderick, whom I have never really appreciated as an actor (not even in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which I think deserves to be a classic) finally takes a step in the direction of thespianism. He plays Jim McCallister, an extraordinary teacher who truly loves his job, loves his profession, loves his life. His legacy and image are virtually unscathed, until the latest Student Council Election comes along. You see, there's this girl named Tracy Flick. She's your perfect example of a know-it-all over-achiever -- she's the kind of student that is often the only one to know the answer, leaving the teacher desperately looking for another student to call on. Tracy is a member of every committee imaginable; she spends long hours and weekends working on school projects.
McCallister loathes her with all his heart. Perhaps he is jealous, perhaps he is simply annoyed by her, but either way when she runs unopposed for Student Council President, he can't stand to see her win. He dreads that someday someone like her will rule the country. He is afraid to imagine what it will be like then. The only thing to do for him, it seems, is to launch a counter campaign. He singles out Paul Metzler, a good, popular, albeit slightly slow guy to run against Tracy. Unfortunately his anger soon leads him to go much farther than that to prevent Tracy Flick from becoming the next Student Council Prez.
If satire is simply a witty exaggeration of ordinary events, then this is satire at its brightest. Besides being an effective political satire, this can be viewed as an affectionate take on what can happen when a student becomes the pet peeve of an important teacher. But underneath this is also a serious movie, one about sacrifice and revenge and it works like a gem, emotionally sincere as well as scathingly funny.
Broderick is brilliant; his character is unabashedly subversive but he makes him touchingly and unsentimentally sympathetic as well. I look forward to Broderick doing more movies like this one (unfortunately, his next project is Inspector Gadget). Reese Witherspoon (Pleasantville) is not quite as effective, but she does a decent job as well, although realism isn't one of her strong points in this one.
Those who argue that Election is morally depraved because it puts the perfectionist Tracy in a bad light are missing the point by a mile. That's not what this movie is about. It's about anger, it's about revenge, it's about obsession. Director Alexander Payne's movie is about important and significant things, and is above and beyond caring whether it offends a select group of people who have no reason to be offended.
I love this movie. It's a satire that blends hilarity with resonant (but not overwhelming) moral statements. It's brutal, it's funny, it's brilliant. ©1999 Eugene Novikov‰
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