Election: Brutally funny, dangerously clever

Election is one of the sharpest films to come out this year, with a brutal edge and thick comedy. Whether it reminds you of your high school days or a Jerry Springer episode, the plot is wonderfully and horribly plausible.

Reese Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick, a go-getter – the yearbook pages show us all the events she’s enrolled in. This fact and the films overall tone draw comparisons to Rushmore, but these are very different films. Max Fleischer was a sympathetic character, while Tracy Flick at best elicits our pity, and more often than not reminds the viewer of people they didn’t like hanging out with in high school. Her real passion – at least in the sense that she is intensely driven to succeed with it – is Student Government. She’s running unopposed for Class President.

At this, teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is miffed. Tracy rubs him the wrong way both in her eagerness and cutthroat attitude. Moreso, he knows a little secret about her (detailed in the opening scenes, but I still don’t want to spoil it) that also displeases him, to say the least. He convinces jock Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to run, as he’s unable to play sports.

And, so begins our play. Yes, this film really is centered around a high school election. That, and the fact that this is a MTV made film should very understandably give one reason to suspect that this film should be awful. (Or, at the very least, have either Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt or Katie Holmes in it.)

Yet, Election succeeds because it pushes the envelope. It also succeeds because each actor absolutely nails their character. Witherspoon is absolutely perfect – if you don’t recognize Tracy Flick from your high school, that’s probably because you are Tracy Flick. Her driven energy, hyper voice-over monologues and character are so precise it is almost unsettling. (The one quibble I have is an inconsistent Midwestern accent, which no other character really has, but again…that’s a quibble.) Put this side-by-side with her performance as Vanessa Lutz in Freeway, and you can realize the depth of Witherspoon’s ability.

Broderick is also dead-on as a high school teacher having a major life crisis. Many will call this a bookend role to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but what’s more notable about the two films is that they are probably Broderick’s best work. (Never was a big fan of Brighton Beach Memoirs.) His acting is believable, funny and poignant. He is the center of the film, and holds it together with precision.

Chris Klein couples his role as Paul Metzler with his work in American Pie to solidify his dominance of the likeable dumb jock role. He’s ideal, and is great as the clueless but happy Metzler. Jessica Campbell plays his sister Tammy, and is unbelievable as the rebel with ulterior motives. The sub-plots involving her are hysterical, and she is razor sharp with every step. Phil Reeves plays the principal, Walt Hendricks, and was so hysterically convincing that I almost pulled out my yearbook to make sure he wasn’t my principal.

Director Payne Alexander’s first work was Citizen Ruth, which apparently I was supposed to love. I found it stupid and boring. For reference sake, Alexander used that film to portray a satirical look at the politics surrounding abortion. In Election, he takes on the entire electoral process and paints high school in a much more realistic and enjoyable way than any of the so-called teen movies I see on HBO. There is also nice use of style here; freeze-framed shots with voice-over narration, switching perspective between different characters

The plot is clever, the sub-plots are humorous and often brilliant, and the entire film translates into one of the best of the year. This film is not for everyone –despite the MTV tag, this is an adult movie. Those easily offended by frank sexual conversation or morally compromising situations will likely not appreciate this. However, if that sort of thing doesn’t stand in the way of you enjoying a film, you’ll love Election.