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Election (1999) 7.3
Ratings:
7.3/10 from 70,089 users
Metascore: 83/100
Reviews: 440 user | 171 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com A high school teacher's personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections, particularly with an obsessive overachiever determined to become student body president. Director:Alexander Payne |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Matthew Broderick | ... | ||
| Reese Witherspoon | ... | ||
| Chris Klein | ... | ||
| Jessica Campbell | ... | ||
| Mark Harelik | ... | ||
| Phil Reeves | ... | ||
| Molly Hagan | ... | ||
| Delaney Driscoll | ... | ||
| Colleen Camp | ... | ||
| Frankie Ingrassia | ... | ||
| Matt Malloy | ... | ||
| Jeanine Jackson | ... | ||
| Holmes Osborne | ... | ||
 |
Loren Nelson | ... |
Custodian
|
|
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Emily Martin | ... |
Girl in Crisis
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (149) »
Storyline
Tracy Flick is running unopposed for this year's high school student election. But school civics teacher Jim McAllister has a different plan. Partly to establish a more democratic election, and partly to satisfy some deep personal anger toward Tracy, Jim talks popular varsity football player Paul Metzler to run for president as well. Chaos ensues. Written by R. P. Falvey <falvey@scf.usc.edu>
Plot Keywords:
high school | female protagonist | student council president | student government | self destructiveness |Taglines:
Reading, Writing, Revenge.Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong sexuality, sex-related dialogue and language, and a scene of drug use | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
7 May 1999 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Eleição See more »Box Office
Budget:
$8,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$119,080 (USA) (23 April 1999)Gross:
£168,090 (UK) (1 October 1999)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Dave Novotny: [tearfully] Tracy's mom, she doesn't understand.
Walt Hendricks: No, I'd say she doesn't. The fact is I have never seen a mother so upset. All right, I know what Tracy told her mother, what her mother told me, I need to hear this from you, because I have a legal responsibility here. Let me ask you this... Did you cross the line with this girl?
Dave Novotny: I... We... We're in love.
[he sobs helplessly]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
If you look closely at some of the 'PICK FLICK' cupcakes Tracy places on the table before offering one to Mr. McAllister, you'll notice some of them spell out a very obscene word because the bottom of the 'L' in the word 'FLICK' is elongated. See more »Goofs
When Tracy is setting up her table in the beginning of the movie, she opens five legs on a four-legged table. However, this is clearly deliberate, a symbol of her over-achievement. See more »Quotes
[Dave's affair with Tracy has been discovered]Dave Novotny: [tearfully] Tracy's mom, she doesn't understand.
Walt Hendricks: No, I'd say she doesn't. The fact is I have never seen a mother so upset. All right, I know what Tracy told her mother, what her mother told me, I need to hear this from you, because I have a legal responsibility here. Let me ask you this... Did you cross the line with this girl?
Dave Novotny: I... We... We're in love.
[he sobs helplessly]
See more »
I don't know how many people who saw ELECTION saw Alexander Payne's previous film, CITIZEN RUTH(1996). That film was a satire on abortion, with Laura Dern as a pregnant homeless woman with several children already taken away by social services, and who is caught in a tug-of-war between pro-choice and pro-life activists. I've never seen an abortion satire before, so that was fresh, but all the characters where instead caricatures, so it was difficult for me to laugh. And the points were made with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer swatting a fly.
ELECTION suffers somewhat from that problem, but most of it works. Much of that, of course, is due to Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Both of them embody their characters down to a T, and while they show us their flaws and their laughable parts, they also made them human beings. As much as we're meant to dislike Tracy, for example, I actually felt sorry for her when she talked about being lonely. And how events proceed between them is logical and well-told.
Less well-done is Chris Klein as the jock who runs against Tracy. He's likeable at times, but I could see Klein condescend to him and make him a boob at times(as his sister Tammy, on the other hand, Jessica Campbell makes a good impression; I was actually surprised at an action she took, though it does make sense). I also thought the sexual repression stuff was obvious and overdone, especially when Broderick sees and hears Tracy when he's making love. We got that already. Nevertheless, this is often funny and biting.