Movies

"Election" is a satire on our electoral system, set in an Omaha high school. Reese Witherspoon is overachiever Tracy Flick, trying as hard as possible to get elected. But teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) will try as hard as possible to stop her, even if it means a few unethical actions.Probably the best scene in the movie is the debates. After Tracy and Paul debate, Paul's sister Tammy says something to the effect of: "What's the deal with school elections? Class president is just something that people like to put on college applications. If I get elected, I think that I'll eliminate these positions altogether." As far as I'm concerned, that's a totally accurate statement. All in all, anyone who wants to really understand our electoral system need only watch "Election". Perfect.

The high school Class President election is approaching and it looks like Tracy Flick is going to win, unopposed. However, teacher Jim McAllister has other plans. He convinces jock Paul Metzler to run, sparking off an interesting chain of events.Brilliant movie from writer-director Alexander Payne. Darkly funny, with a cynical, subversive streak to it. This subversiveness extends beyond the comedy as the movie captures high school as a microcosm for the world we live in, especially the world of politics. Here Payne is particularly brilliant and brutal, showing us the kind of people who thrive in politics, and what happens to those that get in their way.