Rating: 
Summary: A very funny, sharp, dark comedy!
Review: Election is a hilarious movie. Reese Witherspoon is great as the obsessive, almost deranged over-achiever Tracy Flick, determined to win the school election, and Chris Klein is perfect for the role of her opponent, Paul Metzler. Don't pass this one up for fear it is a teen movie, because it's not. Definitely one of the best of 1999!
Rating: 
Summary: A Paynefully Funny Film
Review: Elction's not your typical explotaive teen film that's become so prevolent these days, it's a smart social satire that analyzes high school politics both figuratively and literally. Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon star as teacher and student. She's an over-achieving go-getter steamrolling towards the class presidency when Mr. M (Broderick) decides to intercede by enlisting the most popular kid in school (played by Chris Klein in a sure-fire star-making turn). His resentment towards her is deep and he believes non-existant but it stems from an inappropriate relationship she had with his best friend and collegue. As their bitter realtionship is playing out Broderick finds himself fighting a two-front war with his wife as well. You see he got himself in over his head after persuing a relationship with his friend's ex whom he'd left behind after the divorce. Everything's played out in a light-hearted kind of way which makes it increasingly enjoyable and worthy of repeat viewing. It's a movie that I always knew was good but it just kept growing on me until now I consider it the best of '99. Broderick & Witherspoon both would've been worthy Oscar contenders and Klein whose gone onto superstardom with American Pie plays the part with dead-pan perfection that he eaily runs away with the film's most laughs. The disc's best feature is the running commentary by Payne whose insights pointed out some of the little details that makes this movie so good. A sure-fire comedy classic that has a growing legion of fans (myself included).
Rating: 
Summary: strange, very strange
Review: when i rented this film i thought it was going to be a cuetsy lil' thing about highschool....WRONG! i soon realized i wasn't watching something wholesome and family like. this movie is very, well it's different. i don't think i would buy the movie, but it was an interesting one to rent.
Rating:
Summary: The seeds, the fruits and the fruit loops of democracy
Review: What kind of people run for public office? If you answered people who want to change the world, you need to run around the block a hundred times, fall on your face a couple of hundred times and live for another ten years. Alternatively, you could watch Alexander Payne's brutal satire which effectively argues that there are only three categories under which all potential candidates fall: 1) Narcissistic, compulsive and ultimately pathetic over-achievers. Represented with horrific accuracy in the film by the detestable Tracy Flick(Reese Witherspoon). 2) Moronic, albiet popular, pawns controlled by a puppeteer with his/her own alterior motives. The earnest idiots of this category are accurately embodied in the form of Paul Metzler(Chris Klein) with endearing ineptitude. 3) Disillusioned idealistic outcasts who want to get elected just to discredit the painfully rehearsed and pointless electoral process. This rare type of candidate is represented by Paul's lesbian adopted sister, Tammy(Jessica Campbell). Like the filmmakers of Election, Tammy soon recognises the futility of her cause, looks at the whole phenomenon from a different angle and finds the whole thing funny. Oh yes, Election is a very funny film. Like the best of films, Election never stretches to make its point(s). If you haven't heard of it, you may be surprised to learn that its events largely transpire in a High School where the seemingly model Civics and History teacher, Mr.Jim McAllister is suffering the muted symptoms of early middle age anxiety(shades of American Beauty) and visible agititation at the ravenous academic success of Tracy Flick. He hates her, its as simple as that. She's gotten his best friend fired after a torrid affair, knows the answers to every question he asks and unlike him, she has a single minded purpose in life. As one of the film's four narrators, McAllister claims to have a happy life and that his relationship with his wife is "closer then ever" after nine years. But when he returns home, his head filled with angry thoughts at the malignant Flick, his wife asks "Anything wrong?" He replies smiling "No, nothing." After years of being the model, bland citizen, I think he's jealous of Tracy Flick. For an actor who's been terminally bland since his days as Ferris Beuller, Broderick's performance as the teacher is a revelation. He effectivly communicates the growing bitterness under McAllister's polite exterior. With its depiction of midlife angst, dis-satisfaction and teenage confusion Election is comparible to American Beauty. Where Sam Mendes's Oscar winner adopted a more lyrical,poetic approach, Election goes for acute satire. And like Beauty, it is surprisingly sympathetic to its characters(Even the detestable Flick gets a couple of moments to impersonate a lonely human being.) I recently caught Alexander Payne's previous effort, Citizen Ruth on TV. While it has recieved many good reviews, I found the film a little to broad. In Election on the other hand, he seems to be in complete control. His use of multiple narration will remind you of Scorsese's Goodfellas, and like that mafia opus, there are self-contained sequences of sheer brilliance. His use of freeze-frame, frenzied pace(behold the bee sting sequence) and rock tunes on the soundtrack are all on par with Scorsese. This is a director to watch. Election is a satire, so the character traits are obviously exaggerated. But in my time in highshool, there was a thoroughly detestable breed of quasi-Tracey Flicks infesting my school's final year. These kid suceeded in being the teacher's pet, the constant organisers of all classroom activities while simaltanously trying to appear down to earth and friends with the rest of us. The more I think of them, the more I sympathise with McAllister, I could just kic.....arghh. One must learn to be diplomatic.
Rating:
Summary: Can we say demented?
Review: I loved this movie. It starts out like a simple high school teeny-bopper flick, but takes you to places you have only dreamed of! Matthew Brodrick is a school teacher and he just doesn't like Reese Witherspoon who is his student. It might have somthing to do with the fact she slept with his best friend and got him fired or maybe because she is everything you hated about high school rolled into one little girl. This film is a lot more than I had expected, especially how Matthew just keeps getting knock down and he jumps up to run off and do something even dumber. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Best dark comedy ever made!
Review: black comedies never usually make me laugh but this one sure did!Probably because it was making fun of overachiever,Tracy Flick.And Matthew Broderick's eye after he gets stung by a bee made me crack up!This one's more smarter,sophisticated than average teen flicks.See it
Rating: 
Summary: tacky
Review: having just watched this Mess of a Film I See Why I Stayed Cleared of it for a While.it wasn't funny&the Story has been done so many times already.nothing here gets my attention.very Predictable&Full of High School Cliches.you have seen this film oh about 60-70 different times already with far more Laughs&Understanding of what it was suppose to be.
Rating:
Summary: Landslide of laughs in 'Election'
Review: The smartest political film of the year had nothing to do with Washington D.C., but rather a much more cut-throat arena: high school. Straight-A nightmare Tracy Flick (the sublime Reese Witherspoon, who was robbed of an Oscar nomination) is running unopposed for senior class president. That is, until harried teacher Matthew Broderick (a long way from "Ferris Bueller") starts recruiting some competition for her. Director Alexander Payne plays all this for huge laughs in a black comedy that skewers everyone in its sights, to uproarious results.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best comedies ever!
Review: I was going to start this review be saying that "Election" was the best comedy of the Nineties. But I thought about that and decided that there aren't too many comdedies from any decade that I find as funny and as incisive as "Election". Reese Witherspoon is absolutely terriffic as the ambitious, obnoxious Tracy Flick who wants to be Senior class president. Matthew Broderick is the mediorce, middlebrow teacher who would foil Tracy's ambitions and he plays his part to perfection. The pacing and dialogue are excellent. We've all known a Tracy Flick in our lives. We've all felt that she didn't deseve the rewards she reaped. But you know what? If "sensitive" folk like the rest of us had Tracy's drive maybe we'd be where she landed. Remember Yeat's line about the 'best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity"? Well this is one of the dynamics at work in "Election". But enough of being heavy; this is a funny, funny movie.
Rating:
Summary: So sharp you might cut yourself.
Review: This is not your typical teen movie, friends -- it has teeth. This movie rides the bleeding edge of satire, attacking the inherent seedy nature of high school politics and drawing interesting parallels to the world outside. All of the feature players bring their best to a darkly funny script. Reese Witherspoon is great as a cheerleader-type obsessed with student government. In the face of adversity, her bright and chipper facade gets BRIGHTER and MORE CHIPPER until it becomes obvious she's very, very dangerously deranged. Matthew Broderick atones for his Godzilla sins with his hapless teacher, his attention to Reese torn between lust and loathing. Can't recommend this flick highly enough. Belly laughs and chuckles throughout, some smart social commentary, and the most oddly satisfying ending I've come across in a long time.
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