"Some people say I'm an overachiever, but I think they're just jealous."
Like many indie darlings, Alexander Payne's Election (1999) was screwed by bad advertising. Marketed as another goofy teen flick, it's actually a razor-sharp satire that manages to be far funnier and smarter than its peers.Omaha history teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) nurses a grudge against Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a senior running for class president. Tracy's done everything to climb up the ladder, culminating in an affair with teacher Dave (Mark Harelik). Jim encourages football player Paul (Chris Klein) to challenge Tracy; Paul's lesbian sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell) joins the race to spite her brother. Petty recriminations take flight, with Tracy obsessed with winning and Jim obsessed with stopping her.
Nobody will mistake Election for a documentary, but it has an unusual feel for teen conflict. Payne and Jim Taylor's Oscar-winning script sketches Tracy as a familiar monster, the know-it-all whose existence hinges on public validation. Joining every club and winning elections only makes her more insecure; success leaves her few friends and no satisfaction. It's possible to pity Tracy, despite her whining narration and dirty tricks; Jim pegs her as a monster.
Jim receives a depressing, not to say tragic character arc, devolving from dedicated teacher to cheating, obsessive loser. Even with his infidelity, his third act descent (nursing a bee sting to his eye, convalescing in a hotel) would evoke pity if he weren't monumentally messed up. We're never given a concrete reason for his vendetta; perhaps Tracy sleeping with Dave, perhaps Jim's own professional or sexual hang-ups; he fantasizes about Dave's wife (Delaney Discoll) and Tracy during sex. Or maybe Tracy's just that annoying.
Without making overt parallels, Election hones these elements into sharp political commentary. Tracy's the underprivileged overachiever, striving to overcome with success; Paul, the well-off dunce with no business in politics. Best of all is Tammy, whose aimless trash the government platform proves wildly popular with the apathetic student body. Since it's high school, it's fitting that their campaign is shallow, issueless and petty. Shame that real-world elections turn on similar dynamics.
Perhaps this is most refreshing about Election. Though the characters are archetypes, they're given enough edge and depth to seem real. Even Paul's a genuinely nice guy who realizes he's better off losing. I've never warmed to films like Clueless or Mean Girls, supposed deconstructions of high school tropes that unwittingly celebrate them. Election's less teen satire than depressing commentary on human nature; its adults prove even pettier than the high school.
Matthew Broderick makes an ideal sad sack, playing Jim like Ferris Bueller gone to seed. Reese Witherspoon's savage perkiness makes Tracy a savage social climber, funny and frightening in turn. Made just after her star-making turns in Pleasantville and Cruel Intentions, it's more memorable than her crowd-pleasing Legally Blonde or Oscar-winning Walk the Line. Chris Klein is an amiable dunce, Jessica Campbell endearingly snarky.
Despite its wit and star power, Election never captured the public's imagination. It's one of those hard-to-replicate gems, even if Glee shamelessly stole from it. Regardless, it's a well-crafted confection for viewers demanding more than standard teen movie clichés.
