Election Review
by Chad Polenz (ChadPolenz AT aol DOT com)May 23rd, 1999
Election
Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good)
1999, R, 103 minutes [1 hour, 43 minutes]
[black comedy]
Starring: Matthew Broderick (Mr. Jim McAllister), Reese Witherspoon (Tracy Flick), Chris Klien (Paul Metzler), Jessica Campbell (Tammy Metzler); written by Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor; produced by Albert Berger, David Gale, Keith Samples, Ron Yerxa; directed by Alexander Payne; based on the novel by Tom Perrotta.
Seen May 7, 1999 at 7 p.m. at the Crossgates Cinema 18 (Guilderland, NY), theater #10, with Chris Wessell and Shawn O’Shea for free using my Hoyts season pass. [Theater rating: ****: excellent, seats, sounds and pictures]
Politics are by far one of the easiest and most frequent topics
subject to brilliant satire in many forms. But when we think of politics we usually think of the bigger races: president, senate, congress, governor, even our local aldermen, not president of a high school student government association which is where “Election” gets its niche. However, the film isn’t so much concerned with being an allegory for real politics as much as it is using a seemingly ordinary high school election to tell a story of some of the blackest comedy which is often cruel but sinfully tasty.
WHO:
Mr. Jim McAllister (Broderick): A 30-something social studies teacher who is also the advisor to the SGA and monitor of the school elections. He tells us a little of his life’s background and present situation, most importantly that he and his wife have been having minor marital problems over the years which they hope will cease since they finally have the time to have a baby. McAllister is a pretty nice guy for the most part except he seems to take his job too seriously, especially when it comes to...
Tracy Flick (Witherspoon): A high school over-achiever to the nth degree who is very smart but also extremely lonely. She has a cute face like a porcelain doll and is such a “good girl” she’s sickening (like trying to down spoonfuls of sugar). We’re told she was pushed by her single mother to be the best at everything possible and she lives up to that, but this also creates for her a major character flaw: jealousy. This is brought out and spotlighted in her race for SGA president, initially unopposed, but then comes...
Paul Metzler (Klien): Former athletic hero for the high school until
a skiing accident left him permanently hobbled. Paul is a complete and total mimbo (male bimbo), so much so that he talks and acts like he’s stoned when he’s always sober. He’s also a popular guy because everyone at the school sympathizes with him, plus the fact he’s a rich kid. All of which are perfect reasons for a good head-to-head race against Tracy, if it wasn’t for...
Tammy Metzler (Campbell): Younger sister of Paul whose secret girlfriend dumps her for her own brother and in the process reveals a case of jealousy. But Tammy is a bit more passive with her jealousy and often lets it out through depression, not hostility like Tracy. She enters the race simply to spite Paul, Tracy and the entire school establishment.
WHAT:
Anal-retentive Tracy begins her campaign and is determined to beat
the Metzlers at any costs. But neither of the Metzlers take the election too seriously and at least Paul has fun participating in it. Meanwhile, Mr. McAllister’s personal life is becoming too boring for him and in a subconscious effort to liven things up, he finds himself hopelessly drawn to his wife’s best friend, who also happens to be the ex-wife of his own best friend (who has a disturbing connection to Tracy which is briefly touched on but is better off interpreted by the individual viewer).
WHERE:
George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
WHEN:
The present, probably September of 1998.
CRITIQUE:
The film’s screenplay deserves the most credit for making an
otherwise shocking story flow so smoothly. Every character’s motivation is clearly spelled out and often times done so well it’s more than we need to know. Having the four main characters constantly recite their own narration from their perspective is an original storytelling device and works well here since it actually helps the film to pace itself.
If we were to simply list some of the factors at play here, this film could be seen as twisted and mean-spirited: the three candidates all screw over each other both consciously and unconsciously simply to win an election. We can at least chalk this up to immature children, but even our central adult figure, Mr. McAllister, isn’t much of a role model since he’s just as deviant as the mudslinging, lying, cheating, backstabbing, crybaby actions of Tracy, Paul and Tammy. But the fact he still comes off as the protagonist at all is nothing short of amazing (especially his role in the story’s climax).
The film definitely has a special, unique sense of satire and often manages to make for themes and issues that symbolize the real world, and not just of politics. In fact, there’s very little specific issues of politics spoofed here. Tracy’s narration of how she’s had to work for everything just to have to run against people who have had everything handed to them might be a good example. A scene of a school assembly in which Tammy conveys a message of pure unadulterated apathy for the system to the audience’s delight is another good one. In the end, it’s just modern society that takes a beating - an easy target but it’s not any kind of cop out.
“Election” succeeds because it manages to take so many lurid elements of pop culture and society and somehow throw them at the viewer through a form of witty black comedy. But it reminds us that even black comedy is still a comedy, and who doesn’t like to laugh?
(5/22/99)
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