- Duane Balfour is a teen-aged Don Quixote born into a family of spectacular failure. What starts as a simple schoolyard rivalry snowballs out of control when Duane decides to run for mayor of the tiny town of Ridgeway.
- Intelligent high school senior Duane Balfour has long lived by the principles of his father, Cecil Balfour, to stand up for what he believes in at whatever cost. Duane's fervor is in large part because Cecil died for his principles, he who was viewed as a lunatic. Duane's primary target is his classmate Chad Milton. Although Chad easily gets whatever he wants in life because of who he is, he is largely a symbol for Duane of the entire Milton clan, the richest family in town who have long ruled what happens and who was also the target of Cecil's views. Many of those in Duane's life believe Duane's single-mindedness against Chad is misguided and makes him seen as a lunatic like his father was viewed. Those people include his exasperated mother Bonnie Balfour, his exasperated on again/off again girlfriend Molly Buckley, and his caring teacher, Miss Houston. Based on their advice for him to channel his energies into more productive outlets, Duane decides to run for mayor against five time incumbent Kelly Milton - Chad's grandmother - who has run in the past largely uncontested. Duane believes she runs the town largely for her and the Milton's own benefit. But Duane's impulsive nature and the memory of Cecil may be hard items for Duane to overcome in winning the election.—Huggo
- CITIZEN DUANE is a comedy/drama about Duane Balfour a teen-aged Don Quixote born into a family of spectacular failure. What starts as a simple schoolyard rivalry snowballs out of control when Duane decides to run for mayor of the tiny town of Ridgeway. If Duane is to succeed, he must not only overcome the powerful incumbents, but also his own inadequacies, public perception, and history itself.—Anonymous
- Duane Balfour (Smith) was born into a family of misfortune, in the prairie town of Ridgeburg. He decides to run for high school mayor against his enemy, Chad Milton (Carella), against the advice of his teacher (Fox). Chad is the son of Ridgeburg's mayoress, who has been the incumbent for a ridiculously long time. After losing the high school election, Duane sets his sights higher -- at town mayor. Duane and a homeless man with no more than two votes in his favour are competing with Mayor Milton.
Duane has a long-standing resentment against mayor Milton because she approved his father's shooting by the police after he became violent. This was because he was trying, without success, to warn Milton and Ridgeburg that the ridge upon which part of the town was built -- and named after -- would soon collapse due to heavy mining and insect tunneling. Neither would listen, which frustrated him.
With the support of his brother he tries, and fails, to win the election. After quitting early from the race he and his uncle drive back to Duane's house from Ridgeburg's ridge. The camera pans down underground, showing an insect removing a rock from a tunnel under the ridge. This triggers a landslide -- leading to the implosion of the ridge, which Duane and his uncle see from the back of their truck. The next morning (the day that town election results are announced) it is revealed Mayor Milton has had a heart attack after seeing the ridge has collapsed, presumably since she realized that Duane's father was right all along.
Later in the day it is announced that the homeless man has become mayor by three votes, Milton's votes being counted as invalid and Balfour having dropped out of the election. These two announcements come as a great surprise to all of Ridgeburg, who look forward to their new future without the iron fist of Mayor Milton.
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