Election

Rating:
Summary: An Early Masterpiece
Review: If you plan to see "Sideways," consider watching this one first. It's one of the first efforts by the same director, and it is just amazing.

A critic recently said of "sideways" that it was weakened by an apparent inability to move out of Omaha, which is where this movie and "About Schmidt," among others, are bsaed. That's like telling Garrison Keillor to get out of Minnesota.

"Grow where you are planted." There is more than enough angst and quiet desperation in Omaha for a dozen more movies. The cinemtography here as a slightly "indie" feel, which serves the vapid, flat, treeless landscape very well.

I was just bowled over by the ending, though. What would you expect would happen to a smart, driven, ruthlessly ambitious woman in reward for her extreme hard work? The diminution of Matthew Broderick, the male protagonist seems inevitable, but it's in a particularly poignant way.

The punishment meted out to Matthew Broderick is to spend the rest of his days as a museum docent in New York City. It's no coincidence that this was Garrison Keillor's dream which, once realized, could be easily traded for a return to where you were planted.

Watch this movie - wonderful comedy and the occasional shock of recognition. Great prequel not only to "Sideways" but Reese Witherspoon's "Vanity Fair" also...

Rating:
Summary: comedy masterpiece
Review: Election is one of my favourite movies of all time, right up there with The Ice Storm,To die for, Aliens and happiness.People might think it will appeal mostly to American audiences but here in dark Africa Hollywood movies are my first love! What makes Election so special is Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor`s script. it is extremely well written with brilliant dialogue. And Reese Whitherspoon shoud also get a special mention. Its the best performance of her career, one she will never match again. Its a shame she gave up edgy movies like this and freeway for crap like Sweet home Alabama.

Rating:
Summary: NOT THE TYPICAL TEEN MOVIE.
Review: Usually when a movie has the message "Produced by MTV Films", you should avoid it like the plague, but not this time, because "Election" is a smart movie. This movie is set in a high school environment, but it's not "American Pie", this is a comedy with touches of satire and black humor.

The cast did a great job in "Election", Matthew Broderick gave his finest performance to date in "Election", he plays the role of the anti-Ferris Bueller, and he provides the balance between the youthful energy of the teenagers and the authority and discipline of the grown-ups.

Reese Witherspoon is great (she always is great) as Tracy Flick, the cynical popular girl capable of anything in order to get what she wants. Reese has proven that she is a great actress, not only she is lovable and gorgeous, she is versatile.

Chris Klein also is very charismatic in "Election", he wins the sympathy of the audience with an earnest performance. The director Alexander Payne did a great job with this movie, "Election" is more than a teen movie, it's a smart and amusing movie.

Rating:
Summary: Superb satire--Payne is an aspiring genius
Review: SOME SPOILERS

I normally post before I read the other user reviews, but I this time I indulged in the other opinions. I didn't read them all, but I did notice one trend that I thought was interesting: almost every review from a foreign poster was negative. This engenders the following question: Is this movie too American to be appreciated? I think it may be. Without the American High School experience, you may not be able to relate.

This is a brilliant, subtle, comedy that is paced with details and satire, and for my money is only slightly behind "Raising Arizona" as greatest comedy ever. The character development is OUTSTANDING! This is achieved through clever narrations and adroit irony (a shot of the teacher leading Tracy to his bedroom is covered by a voice over in which she says "What I really miss is our talks" and Mr McCallister claims that he really likes Tracy over a shot of her hard-earned signature list in a dumpster). The side issues are delectable and come out of nowhere- the lesbian revenge, the bee sting (not to mention that clever twist that Broderick, as a teacher, has his most memorable role as slacker Ferris Bueller).

The film is unbelivably percptive. There is a grain of truth in many or the implications: Teachers do dislike some students, some teachers do choose that occupation because they really didn't want to leave HS, and some teachers are manques of some sort who underachieved and may be jealous of overachieving students ("who go to much better colleges") and that we all often loathe successful people. In other words it shows humans as real and flawed.

Broderick is, of course, great, but Witherspoon (hwo she did the "fill me up" scene with a strait face I'll never know) and Klien, as the credulous jock are equally up to par.

Ultimately however the stength is the ludicrousness that we all know a high school election to really be. Tammy's speech sums it up and is fantastic.

Highly recommended.


Rating:
Summary: Immoral Garbage
Review: You're thinking, 'Matthew Broderick & Reese Witherspoon this ought to be a good movie.' WRONG. That's what I was thinking. The fact that MTV Films produced this movie should have been enough of a warning. Election is not funny, nor clever, nor interesting. All the major characters are immoral bad people doing immoral bad stuff. I am not a prude and if this movie was entertaining in anyway I could have set aside my judgement of the characters knowing that they are fictional. However, it is not entertaining, nor do any of the characters show remorse or grow in anyway. There is nothing redeming about this movie.
Please don't waste your time.