Election (1999)

A high school teacher's personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections, particularly with an obsessive overachiever determined to become student body president.

Director:

Alexander Payne

Writers:

Tom Perrotta (novel), Alexander Payne (screenplay),

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Broderick	...	Jim McAllister
Reese Witherspoon	...	Tracy Flick
Chris Klein	...	Paul Metzler
Jessica Campbell	...	Tammy Metzler
Mark Harelik	...	Dave Novotny
Phil Reeves	...	Walt Hendricks
Molly Hagan	...	Diane McAllister
Delaney Driscoll	...	Linda Novotny
Colleen Camp	...	Judith R. Flick
Frankie Ingrassia	...	Lisa Flanagan
Matt Malloy	...	Vice-Principal Ron Bell
Jeanine Jackson	...	Jo Metzler
Holmes Osborne	...	Dick Metzler
Loren Nelson	...	Custodian
Emily Martin	...	Girl in Crisis

Storyline

Tracy Flick is running unopposed for this year's high school student election. But school civics teacher Jim McAllister has a different plan. Partly to establish a more democratic election, and partly to satisfy some deep personal anger toward Tracy, Jim talks popular varsity football player Paul Metzler to run for president as well. Chaos ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | female protagonist | student council president | student government | self destructiveness | 

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Taglines:

Reading, Writing, Revenge.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, sex-related dialogue and language, and a scene of drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'arriviste

Filming Locations:

16th St NW & H St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$119,080 (USA) (23 April 1999)

Gross:

£168,090 (UK) (1 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bona Fide Productions, MTV Films, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The yearbook office seen in a scene involving Tracy Flick is the real yearbook office for Papillion La Vista High School, as opposed to the director's office, which is actually the detention room, refurbished for the movie.

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Goofs

The poster that Tracy accidentally rips down has a different colour pattern than the one that she is seen painting earlier. The ripped poster has alternating green and blue letters. However the one they were painting had a punctuation mark the same colour as the preceding letter.

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Quotes

Jim McAllister: [narrating] What happens to a man when he loses everything? Everything he's worked for... everything he believes in? Driven from his home... cast out of society... how can he survive? Where can he go? New York City! For centuries people have come to New York seeking refuge from their troubled lives. Now I am one of them.

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Crazy Credits

The end titles include four "The producers wish to thank the following:" cards, one "Very Special Thanks to:" card, and one "Extra Very Special Thanks to:" card.

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

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Soundtracks

El Tostado
Written by Joseph L. Altruda (as Joey Altruda)
Performed by Joey Altruda and His Cocktail Crew
Joey Altruda performs courtesy of Will Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

One of the most pleasurable aspects of the film is its total lack of sentimentality…

High-school comedies became popular because the milieu was familiar to a large proportion of the film-going audience… But the best examples of the genre in the 1980s and 1990s satirized not only the constant battle of the sexes, but other elements in American life… The frequent struggles between jocks and nerds were a kind of microcosm of the class difference which is supposed not to exist in the United States…

In "Election," one of the best examples of this popular genre, much of the humor is at the expense of the 'democratic' process… The film's guiding insight is that in practice democracy reduces to a popularity contest, in which dirty tricks are the norm…

Tracy is a Nebraskan high-school blonde who is brilliant and hard-working… She is standing for election as student president… Played by Reese Witherspoon, Tracy is bright and intolerant, eaten up by ambition and her ruthless determination to win… She is regarded with disgust by a career teacher and student adviser, Jim McAllister, for her self-righteousness, and also for her role in the dismissal of his fellow teacher Dave after a sex scandal… Jim encourages student football star Paul to stand against Tracy…