[3.0/4.0]
Most people who have attended a typical American high school will agree that few events are as inconsequential as the student election. The only people who really care are the ones who are running for office, and that because they want to make themselves appear well-rounded when applying to college. When people take the election seriously, as in this film, the politics can be intriguing and darkly humorous.
This year's student council presidential election initially appears to be uneventful, because the only person on the ballot is Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Not too many people have much interest in the election, but Tracy is not a typical student. She is highly serious, motivated, and driven. Tracy takes everything so seriously that she does not appear to have a clear view of reality. Everything she sees is distorted by her overachiever's view of the world, where people are either allies or rivals.
Tracy is well known and appreciated by the faculty, because she is enthusiastic and involved. However, Tracy has an unusual relationship with Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), the history teacher. Underneath the surface of their unremarkable teacher/pupil relationship, they have a source of tension. Besides simply being annoyed by Tracy's overambitious demeanor, Jim also holds her responsible for the breakup of a friend's marriage and the destruction of his career. It so happens that Tracy had an affair with a teacher, a close friend of Jim, which ultimately led to his dismissal although the details of the case never became public. While it may initially appear that there will be a struggle between the obsessive, ruthless Tracy and her wiser, principled teacher, Jim is shown to be a more ambiguous character. A glaring discrepency exists between Jim's lectures on morals and ethics, and how he implements those principles in his personal life.
The story takes an unconventional approach by making neither of the main characters likable. Tracy is cloyingly perky, annoying in her desire to wield power when she can, ruthless and willing to step on others in the pursuit of her own goals. Credit must be given to the screenplay and to Witherspoon for bringing to life such a multi-layered character. Witherspoon deftly keeps Tracy between being too cute, and also keeps her from becoming simply malicious. Although Tracy might not be a likable character, she is not as disagreeable as Jim. While Jim is initially an involved and clearly inspiring teacher, significant flaws in his character soon emerge. Jim's desires eventually drive him to become as ruthless and selfish as Tracy.
The thought that Tracy will easily get what she wants, in terms of becoming the President of the student counsel, bothers Jim. He decides to encourage the injured football player, Paul Metzler (Chris Klein), to also run for president. While Paul does not have the drive and ambition of Tracy, he is a star athlete and a popular student, so Tracy perceives a sudden threat to her desires.
The story ambitiously adds another dimension when Paul's sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell) decides to run to spite her brother for a transgression he is clueless about. Tammy runs on the platform of apathy, saying that if she is elected she will do nothing, and this strikes a chord with a large part of the student body. The election will mean nothing to most students, but it will be cut-throat for a few involved, and will suck in Jim also.
The film is note worthy in the number of characters it develops and the number of subplots it connects. However, it could have done more with the unidimensional Paul. Also, Paul's girlfriend Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia), is given significant screen time, but is never developed beyond existing as a plot device. The remaining characters, however, are all substantially examined and presented believably. The story has one glaring weaknesses, a key development that was a conveniently sloppy mistake, where the offending character will obviously be caught. However, the story as a whole is original and engaging. Because the characters are given so many directions, it is not easy to predict which direction the story will travel. At times the plot has suspense and intrigue, and it is consistently filled with black humor.
Highly recommended. This is an entertaining film which strikes a balance between comedy and drama. It strives to present complete characters, and even succeeds in using main characters that are identifyable, but not likable. The plot is engaging, and although it telegraphs some key events, it still remains engrossing.
(c) 1999 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://ArtHouseSquatter.com
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