Election (9/10)
28th September 1999: The Watershed, Bristol
Election tells the story of Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a Nebraskan high-school student who is brilliant and hard-working, and who takes part in all manner of worthy student activities. She is a perfect student - prim, chirpy, and ambitious. And her teacher, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) has had just about enough of her - he is not an ambitious man, is quite happy with his simple life and finds Tracy's intensity very wearing.
The high-school election for President of the student body is about to take place, and although Tracy is so far the only candidate, she conducts a businesslike campaign with drive and efficiency. Mr. McAllister doesn't like the idea of having Tracy as the student President, so he arranges for a rival candidate to enter the election. Soon, a third candidate throws her hat into the ring. Tracy is not best pleased. As the election campaign progresses, things take a bad turn in Mr. McAllister's private life, and he becomes inclined to take his frustration out on Tracy by scuppering her ambition.
Matthew Broderick is not a heavyweight actor, but he does a fine job here as an underachieving teacher haunted by an overachieving pupil. But the film belongs to the ever-excellent Reese Witherspoon, who is fast establishing a reputation as one of the finest young actresses around. Her performance as Tracy Flick is simply magical, stealing every scene she's in. And when Miss Flick lets rip with one of her outraged, tight- lipped scowls, take cover - those nostrils are so scary they could curdle milk at thirty paces.
Simply but effectively directed by Alexander Payne, who also co-write the snappy and witty screenplay with Jim Taylor (from Tom Perrotta's novel), Election is a high-school comedy drama, a political satire and a study of jealousy and the price of ambition. It's quite disheartnening that Election wasn't distributed more widely here in the UK. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this film and it deserved a shot at the multiplex audience. It's a gem of a movie and is my film of the year so far.
--
Gary Jones
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