"Election" (1999) - Movie Review

“Election” tells a story of wickedly aspiring girl, Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a true and good soul, Paul Metzeler (Chris Klein), his rebellious sister Tammy Metzeler (Jessica Campbell) and a mid aged teacher Jim McAllister (Mathew Broderick) consumed by his boring existence a.k.a mid life crisis, finds to hate Tracy is the only way out of it. It is a dry and dark satiric comedy over how one thing appears so important, casual and deadly to one another. It is funny as any high school movie you have ever seen and has a narrative style resembling “Little Children”. Of course both “Election” and that are adapted novels by the same author, Tom Perotta.

Director Alexander Payne has given dramatic comedy pieces after this which is “About Schmidt” and “Sideways”. In both those movies, the central character in each are running around in search of what to do after they lose their main hold over their life. Here it can be compared to Jim. Jim of course is no straight arrow. He is a teacher who as many teachers believes in what he does. He believes in nurturing every batch of young students into another step towards their goal with guidance and encouragement. Strangely he wants to stop one of her students, Tracy. Apart from his colleague Dave (Delaney Driscoll) getting kicked out for having an affair with Tracy, which of course he blames Dave too; it takes us some time to closely observe on his reasoning to despise her.

Tracy played spectacularly by Witherspoon jumps around and speaks like the “Energizer” Bunny. I am sure every one would have seen one like her in their high school days. Over attentive, over participative and over everything that you just need to push her face away from yours to get some air. She is omnipresent and omni-irritating. She has dreams, pretty high ones. She works hard and wants to be the top in everything. The problem is that she knows she works hard and demands good, no great things happening to her. She prays before the election to god, “I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow because I deserve it and Paul Metzler doesn't, as you well know.” This cracked me up on how lost she is in aiming high that she demands the all mighty and in fact tells what to think.

The movie name could have been “Omaha” or “Carver” as the film circles more on the place than the event. Election is the catalyst for these quirky characters to react. The dialogues are formulated such that they tell it how it supposed to be while the tone says of what they really feel. The film does haunt upon the “popularity” contest in high school but uses it wisely. And for once the popular guy is the nicest guy ever. I mean you cannot define a more genuine being than Paul. He does party and does have fun but he cares for every one and does not care for “Election”. It is his energy which counters all the negative energy by Tracy and Jim.

Jim is the study material. He is the adult and he is a mess. He thinks he is having a happy marriage but knows things are bland. The funny part about individual narration is that the characters care about what audience thinks, except Paul and his sister Tammy of course. Jim even though does not act as caffeinated as Tracy, has the natural chemistry of character as that of her. He sees a much of himself in her and he uses his friend Dave’s lost life as a cover up. Jim believes he deserves more than a routine sex of “fill” his wife Diane (Molly Hagan) with materials for reproduction. It is this moral flexibility he brings is funny and shocking at times.

Jim and Tracy are remorseless and guilt free go-getters. Both believe in the end and the means to get it hardly matters for both. They stoop down to each other’s low point and constantly battle to win something which Tammy truthfully and boldly speaks up in her speech. The film did not go in a happy ending as most would want to. While watching this dark entertainer, I thought about how I have consistently showed my discomfort over a good movie with no conscience or righteousness. Of course, it tells a story of twisted characters playing twisted games but it is shown with utter nakedness of how completely and unbelievably it is wicked that it makes us realize the rightness out of its wrongness. “Election” tells how we tell ourselves that we are right through Jim and Tracy while how certain people are just blindly naïve and ready to accept life as Paul even when they are wrong.