Day 8 - Election

Election (1999) directed by Alexander Payne

Do you remember how it was in high school? The drama, the politics, scandal, the intrigue? If those phrases don't register with you, don't be alarmed. It's perfectly normal to be, well, normal. My high school experience was just like anybody else's; I went to school, did my homework, hung out with friends and that was that. I just went through the motions, trying to get by, indistinguishable from the next guy. And that is the way how 99% of high school works. But there is, of course, that 1% that stands apart from the rest, the one who sits in the front of the class and raises his hand, the one who joins all the clubs and plays all the sports, the one who volunteers after school, the one that runs for student body government, the overachiever. We all know that one guy or girl who bugged the hell out of you, not just because their achievements were making you look bad, but because deep down you realized they were going places and you weren't.

Tracy Flick is that person. You can see it in her smug yet cute smile. You can see it in her preppy sweater vests. She is the definition of overachiever. In very beginning scene of the movie, she sets up a little booth before school starts in the hallway announcing her candidacy for school president, even offering free sticks of gum to voters. She is the only one running. After all, Coke is by far the number one selling soda in the world, yet spends the most amount in advertisement; that's how they stay on top. Most teachers would find her overzealous go-get'em attitude positive and refreshing. After all, who doesn't like enthused students in their classrooms? But Mr. McAllister knows better. Mr. McCallister doesn't like Tracy Flick. He sees through the seemingly perfect student and sees the ruthless ambition and mean spirt in her eyes, that and he knows that his best friend, a fellow teacher, had a romance with her, causing him to get fired and divorced. Or maybe it is because it isn't just fellow students who are jealous of the overachievers, teachers are too.  They see these kids and their bright futures ahead of them, only to be reminded of their own middling lives, stuck in the same room teaching the same stuff year in and year out.

Election is a satirical comedy about the inner workings of high school life and politics, complete with sex, scandal, dark horse contenders, and voting sabotage, basically what happens in every election ever. If people get this worked up over a high school election, just imagine what people would do for elections that really matter (ahem, state of Florida). While Tracy Flick is the representative of budding politicians worldwide, Jim McCallister is the every day man, sensible and ethical, and utterly determined to bring her down, but to what ends? As his personal life slowly deteriorates with an ever dull marriage and a fumbling attempt at an affair, his ethical code seemingly goes with it and a final showdown between the two sides is inevitable, but who will prevail?

The narrative of Election is broken into separate points of view with interior monologues, giving us a glance at the insights of all the players involved. First, we have Mr. McCallister, played by Matthew Broderick, as the popular teacher who in the beginning of the film engages his classroom in the differences between ethics and morals. The only person to confidently raise her hand to give an answer is none other than Tracy Flick, played by Reese Witherspoon, who has the same innocent charm she displays in Legally Blonde, but with a viscous dark side. Matthew Broderick, for his part, has the perfect small-town teacher look and feel. Chris Klein plays Paul Metzler, a popular jock that Mr. McCallister convinces to run against Tracy in the election in hopes of squashing her dreams. I've never been a huge fan of Chris Klein, as he's another of those pretty boys with limited acting skills. (Check out his performance in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li for some of the worst delivered lines in the history of cinema.) However, he does well with his aw-shucks manners here and is actually perfectly cast in this role. His sister, Tammy, played by Jessica Campbell, is the darkhorse contender who only runs out of spite and to make a mockery of the whole process.

As a comedy, Election is difficult to judge on aesthetic qualities. How often has a comedy won best cinematography or direction? They key to making good comedies is to just tell the story without getting in the way of the laughs. However that isn't to say that comedies can't be well made. While the cinematography looks awfully dated for a movie made in 1999, the movie is still filled with intriguing shots. I couldn't help but laugh watching Reese Witherspoon jump up and down for joy in an empty hallway literally like a rabbit. Near the end of the film, there is a Sergio Leone style showdown with increasingly fast cuts between the characters' eyes. There is also extensive use of freeze frames. In the beginning of the movie, the camera pauses on Reese Witherspoon's face mid sentence with her eyes closed, looking as if she's halfway between a sneeze and having Bells Palsy. Above all else though, the script is sharp and funny, borderline absurd but never slapstick and unbelievable.

Any politician that ever walked the earth is ambitious and motivated. It's almost impossible not to be if you want to get anywhere in life. While Election is satirical in nature, it is not too far from the truth either, as it is the Tracy Flicks that are running the world.

Grade: B+