Election Review
by "Mark O'Hara" (mwohara AT hotmail DOT com)May 10th, 1999
Election (1999)
A Film Review by Mark O'Hara
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Has it crossed your mind that the morality play is a dead genre? Perhaps you've wondered what's become of sharply-written satire?
Alexander Payne's "Election" works as both.
First, its packaging is modern, almost trendy. Not screechy and obnoxious like handfuls of other teen films currently being produced or peddled. "Election's" charm comes largely from its narrative technique: the audience gets the stories directly from the voice-overs of major characters. Hence we witness various perspectives that combine to create quite a jumbled unity. Payne, the director and co-writer (along with Jim Taylor - based on Tom Perrotta's novel), gives us digestible units that quicken pace and intensify plot. The result? We come away licking our lips, our appetites teased by the delicious ironies.
Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) teaches Social Studies at an Omaha's George Washington Carver High School. He seems to get along fine with his wife, his job - his life. What trips him up is anger at an over-achieving student. This girl, Tracy Enid Flick (Reese Witherspoon), is both officious and hard-working, a member of all the extra-curriculars she can find. What's clever about the way in which she is drawn is the ambiguity. Tracy labors but displays immodesty; she thrives without a father or large family income, but her abrasiveness keeps friends away. A colleague of McAllister's, Dave Novotny, exploits Tracy's isolation, crashing the border of appropriate student-teacher relationships. One of McAllister's motivations, of course, is Novotny's ruined life: "Mr. M" cajoles the popular but injured athlete Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) into running against Tracy for president of the student government. Complicating the situation even more, Paul's sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell) decides to run! Her motive? To get revenge on her brother's girlfriend, the same girl on whom Tammy has a major crush.
Meanwhile, Jim McAllister suffers from the wandering eye. Although his problem is less desperate than Novotny's, he is not averse to having an affair. Ironically, the target of his random affections is Novotny's ex-wife Linda (Delaney Driscoll). Needless to say, McAllister's life is made no easier because of his immaturity. His choices seem to go awry throughout the course of the story, in fact, particularly during the counting of the votes in the student council race.
The title "Election" is an apt one. Not only does it address the climactic plot device, but the personal choices of all the main characters. The title's allegorical, in a sense. Early on we see McAllister's discussion of the difference between ethics and morals. With each succeeding bad move the characters make, the original discussion resonates. Some of these plot twists are very amusing, as when McAllister throws together a pop-quiz simply to occupy his last period class, allowing him time to run to the pharmacy for flowers and other necessaries with which to commit his adultery. Other decisions are more ominous. They all show the shady side of humanity, though.
Matthew Broderick demonstrates again that he is able and reliable. Subtle streaks of gray at his temples, Broderick plays McAllister as a misguided but ultimately decent man. This actor seems to have a talent for playing the straight man - here when a series of mishaps flatten his reputation and his happiness. As Tracy Flick -- a good and perky name for this young woman - Witherspoon crafts a paragon of uptightness. When the frame freezes on her unflattering expressions, we chuckle at her superficiality. As the well-liked Paul Metzler, whose rich father has bought him a new truck, Chris Klein is extremely likable but equally shallow. He is concerned about his sister's emotional problems, and even tries to be a good sport with his obsessed rival, Tracy. But during a sequence wherein the main characters pray privately, we see Paul's concern lies mostly in trivial matters - similar to the prayers of Tracy and Tammy.
The flaws in the film have to do with its R rating. There's a tonal nosedive when Dave Novotny suddenly tells an appalled Jim McAllister about his relations with Tracy. A few other depictions of sexuality, some reminiscent of the crudeness of the Brothers Farrelly, pull the narrative out of the range of family viewers.
Yet even these vulgar strokes of characterization serve to widen our distance, to sketch the characters as more gray than any other shade. Should we hate Mr. M for his porno collection, or like him for his three teacher-of-the-year awards? Is Tracy to be pitied for her pushy mother, or hated for her superior attitude? And Tammy - do we admire her dreaminess or despise her stylish nihilism?
Director Alexander Payne has said, "It just happens to be a coincidence that high school movies are so hot right now. I'm grateful for the trend, because it helped me get this film made. But I lament that it could get lumped in with these other high school movies." Conclusion: "Election" will appeal to much wider audiences than "10 Things I Hate About You." It covers different grounds than other teen-oriented films, succeeding largely because of a mix of wit and caustic insight.
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