gulsumozturk A high school teacher who was always talking about morals and ethics should not have ended being such a failure.The movie was pointless and there is no moral at the end. In addition, I could not find any point to laugh at, either, so it should not be categorized under comedy genre.

Weiming Sheng Election is a film that makes me want to re-rate all the movies I've watched so far: if I only give a ten to Election, what would be the score of Star Wars A New Hope? 1 star? It is hard to really quantify things, but nonetheless I hope I have made my point clear, that Election is one of the best movies ever made, and I am talking about Citizen Kane great. Now, a lot of films are said to be the greatest because how innovative they are at the time or how old they are. Well I don't care about those pretentious measures. When I am writing a review I am judging from a present viewer's perspective, and I am expecting contemporary people to read my words, not some 30s time-travelers. Therefore, even though historic values cannot be entirely ignored, that is not the major reason for me to watch a film: I do it because I want to learn something from it, have some fun, and entertain myself intellectually. In contrary to Star Wars A New Hope which achieves none of that, Election is the perfect movie by that standard. Simply perfect. I will say no more to avoid spoilers. This is one of those films that by even mentioning some general comments would make me guilty of spoiling, very opposite to when I am writing the review for Star Wars A New Hope and felt that I just wanted to spit out this garbage. I have no problem with this movie. Honestly, I think most people give this a 8/10 because they feel no one else has been giving it the acclaim it is supposed to win. I rate movies however based on things I find to be not right; therefore I only take points off when necessary, since movie-making is hard and being a nitpicking jerk does not always do me any good. Anyways, not a single false note, and I am giving it a 10/10. BTW maybe I am prejudiced since I really like this directing style. I also gave About Schmidt 10/10 just so you know.

thefinalcredits "Who knew how high she would climb in life? How many people would suffer because of her? I had to stop her, now." This acerbic satire on American society and presidential politics viewed through the prism of a high-school election is an outstanding piece of work worthy of greater acclaim than it received in the box office. The director, Alexander Payne, has produced a humorous critique of the pursuit of naked ambition, and the general apathy of the electorate towards the democratic process. Rees Witherspoon gives an immaculate performance, mature beyond her years, of the zealous status-seeker, Tracey Flick. Fueled by her single mother's determination to have her succeed, Tracey's relentless and ruthless pursuit of the position of student president is unopposed until the intervention of Carver High's three times winner of 'Teacher of the Year', Jim McAllister. In his most noteworthy performance, Matthew Broderick shines as the civics teacher, charged with overseeing the school election process, whose determination to derail Flick's ambitions will have disastrous consequences. Payne and Jim Taylor's adapted screenplay, worthy of an Oscars nomination, provides an excruciating portrayal of the gradual downfall of McAllister in his struggle to balance moral rectitude with his own human frailties. Though believing his actions justified in defense of democratic ideals, McAllister is largely driven by not only his wish to have some retribution for his dismissed teaching colleague and best friend, in his opinion ensnared by Flick into an unethical and immoral relationship, but also his own fear of sharing a similar fate. Moreover, trapped in a loveless marriage and a career without scope to match the successes of his most promising students, Broderick's character is inexorably drawn into an affair with the wife of his dishonoured friend, and best friend to his own wife, which will have its own calamitous effect on both his personal and professional lives. The pitiful manner in which both he and his shamed friend skirt the depths of public indecency in pursuit of self-gratification, while believing that they do so out of love, make any belief that this film is imbued with misogynistic tendencies simply laughable. There are several truly uncomfortable yet 'laugh out loud' moments, such as that where McAllister's disgraced friend attempts to attest to his and Flick's love for each other while engulfed in floods of tears. Another is McAllister's own rushed and graphic preparation for his illicit assignation with the friend of the family. The film is infused with sardonic humour, embellished by the director's skillful use of editing techniques, such as the 'freeze frame' scenes wedded to McAllister's caustic narration of Flick's motivation. Further illustration of this concerns one of this reviewer's favourite scenes, where,post-coitus, McAllister's drab saloon car and suburban landscape is exchanged for a stylish two-seater sports car and Italian scenic strada, and back again, to reflect his new-found, yet flawed sense of male prowess. In addition, the use of multiple narrators allows the viewer to share and be immersed into the misguided views and interpretations of the film's core protagonists. The supporting cast give creditable performances, none more so than Jessica Campbell as the rebellious unconventional sister to the school heartthrob and sports star played by Chris Klein. Brought in after Thora Birch was sacked for creative differences with the director, Campbell received numerous nominations from different critical organisations for the best breakthrough performance of that year. This makes her self-imposed disappearance from our screens just over twelve months later such a loss to the industry. As for Chris Klein, having been discovered by the director while searching suitable school locations to shoot, he shows great potential, despite offering here a sort of pastiche of Keanu Reeves. Klein's naive but lovable school jock serves as McAllister's instrument to deny Flick victory. When this proves fruitless, he reverts to vote-tampering, almost divining the events of the forthcoming US presidential elections after the film's release. The viewer accompanies Broderick's hapless descent into transgressing core aspects of ethical and moral behaviour, half cheering on his crusade against the self-serving and self-righteous Flick, and half offended by McAllister's hypocrisy - the allegorical bee-sting injury serving as a visual marker of McAllister's tainted reputation. The ending serves as the perfect rib-tickling illustration of this character's ongoing struggles to rid Flick from his demons. A cult classic.

Michael Radny Election is cynical, satirical and sarcastic. Everything you can wonder about a teacher as a student comes true in this comedy, which lacks comedy (or at least any memorable moments). However, what it lacks in laughs it more than makes up for in the overall story. A story about revenge, discipline and role models; Election is just one of those films you can relate heavily to.The problems that surround Election are almost counteracted by the good. Whilst labeled as a comedy, it more or less passes for a coming of age drama with satirical undertones, but nonetheless, Election is as honest as it can get.