Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick, Kevin Kline

Director: Alexander Payne

Screenplay: Alexander Payne

Running time: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Comedy



CRITIQUE:


Never underestimate the genre of high school movie. The territory that usually harbours fluffy teen romances, raging hormones at Prom night and sexual angst can also be a vehicle for something intelligent, razor-sharp and as incisive as Dr. Strangelove to American politics. You’ll never expect Kubrick’s brilliant definitive satire to be mentioned alongside the genre populated by John Hughes stereotypes, but Alexander Payne’s Election may rightfully be the Dr. Strangelove of high-school movies. It gleefully lambasts the manoeuvrings of American politics in the form of school government, but never lets the satire too ruthless that it leaves its pesky politicians underexplored.


Told in a quartet of narratives, Reese Witherspoon’s megawatt overachiever Tracy Flick, Matthew Broderick’s scheming teacher Jim McAllister, Kevin Kline’s kind-hearted idiot Paul Meltzer and Jessica Campbell’s lesbian spitfire Tammy, Paul’s younger rebellious half-sister, we’re set in a turbulent cinematic high-school presidential election ever. But this is really Witherspoon and Broderick’s show, standing as polar opposites, the former accomplishing her Martha-Stewart efficiency, baking cupcakes and manufacturing badges to win votes whilst the latter try to sabotage it all. The genius of Payne’s screenplay is that it never pits bias on a single character, developing pathos and insights on both sides of the arena. Flick’s smile, which can turn on and off like a lightbulb, is actually a facade of a misunderstood crusader, an ambitious eel wanting to become a monster politician, and McAllister is actually very jealous of her spot-on effectiveness, in contrast to his incompetence and fucked-up personal life. We may think that Tracy Flick is such a wicked go-getter, but Payne gives her a surprising character arc that would find ourselves sympathising for this high-pitched, pushy vixen.


VERDICT:

Pitched wonderfully between comedy and satire, Election’s real star is the screenplay: bitingly perceptive, ruthlessly funny and teeming with intelligence, wit and pathos. It is also performed to startling effect, with Witherspoon and Broderick spewing out bard-wired dialogues.



RATING: A-