Election (1999) - Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell. Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Based on the book by Tom Perrotta. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated R. Available on DVD.
This movie shocked me with how good it was. I expected an average high school comedy, but then seeing Alexander Payne's name as a writer and a director confused me. This movie was far from an average high school comedy.
Election tells the story of a high school presidential election and the effect that it has on the students running for the office and their Student Government sponsor, played by Matthew Broderick at his very best. Reese Witherspoon kills it as an insanely over-achieving student who cheats and will do anything possible to win the election. Matthew Broderick plays the sponsor whose life is starting to fall apart and he feels relatable. That's one of the most amazing things about this film: it feels over-the-top and ridiculous, yet it is very real and relatable.
The structure of this film is very interesting and very well done. The use of flashbacks, freeze frames, and voiceovers make this film unique and the style was quite well executed. The story is engaging as well; however, I feel like the first two-thirds of the film was way better than the last. The last act seemed to drag on for a quite awhile, yet not too much that it made me dislike the film. I quite enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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