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ELECTION
Blu-ray Edition
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell
Director: Alexander Payne
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Studio: Paramount
Features: Director’s Commentary
Length: 103 Minutes
Release Date: January 20, 2009
"You can't interfere with destiny."
Film ***1/2
I have to admit, it was kind of a cultural shock for me at
first…I spent my high school years with the indelible image of Matthew
Broderick as Ferris Beuller, the coolest and most ultimate antagonist against
the high school system. Now, seeing
him in Election, with a touch of gray
on the sides and playing the kind of teacher that Ferris would have eaten for
lunch…well, the times do change, don’t they?
And Broderick is terrific in this film as Jim McAllister. He’s the kind of teacher that has probably just about reached that big turning point, between being good at and self-satisfied with his work and beginning to realize that probably 90% or better of his students don’t give a damn about what he spews forth year in and year out. He is more or less the protagonist of the picture, by virtue of having the most screen time, and letting the audience see many more factors of his life.
The antagonist, therefore, is
his student Tracy Flick (Witherspoon). Tracy
is the kind of high school over-achiever that may remind you of Max from Rushmore,
but there is a huge difference. Max
achieved out of a love for his school. Tracy
does it for self centered reasons. No
matter what the category, she wants her name at the top.
This brings us to the election of the title, in which Tracy
seems to be running unopposed for student council president.
And like any professional politician, she says the right things, smiles
for the cameras, all the while thinking not about what she can do for the
school, but what the school can do for her.
And suddenly, McAllister decides that this little blonde kewpie doll
juggernaut must be derailed. (Two
reasons are suggested…one, a teaching comrade of his lost his job after an ill
advised affair with Tracy, and two, McAllister seems to want to do the same
thing deep down inside). So, he
recruits Paul (Klein), an injured and popular football player with a good heart
and a rather soft head, to run against her.
Well, as far as Tracy is concerned, this means war.
And the movie never lets you forget that the battle is not between Tracy
and Paul for president, but between Tracy and McAllister.
Soon, it gets pretty ugly, and even funnier, especially when Paul’s
outcast sister Tammy (Campbell) enters the election on the promise to do nothing
but get rid of the council so that students don’t have to participate in
another stupid election. And she
seems to be winning.
As mentioned, I couldn’t help but think back to Rushmore
a little bit…I never appreciated how much that story was really told in
the spirit of innocence, until I saw Election.
This is a biting black comedy; a searing satire that pulls no
punches. These people, with the
exception of Paul, all rather unpleasant, though they do manage to win our
sympathies from time to time. This is probably the best dark comedy about high school since
Heathers.
Director and co-writer Alexander Payne has created a film
with a lot of intelligence. Irony
is always at work here, from the opening moments where dastardly deeds are being
recounted in flashback form while Tracy gives a perky classroom response about
ethics and morals. The way he edits
his film, with often harsh contrasts produced, adds to the humor in ways only
films can achieve. And often,
it’s just plain funny to watch the characters do what they do, knowing ahead
of time why they do them.
The idea of destiny is introduced early in the picture, and
one gets the sense that the ‘D’ word is at play in the story.
McAllister is just a guy who seems destined to lose, and Tracy to win.
Both do rather underhanded and unscrupulous things over the course of
this campaign, but I don’t think I need to tell you who pays for their deeds
and who doesn’t. McAllister has
such bad luck, he even gets stung by a bee.
On his eyelid. Ouch.
I’ve mentioned Broderick’s great work, but a lot of
credit must also go to Reese Witherspoon, who in my opinion is one of the most
talented young actresses working today. Gary
Ross, director of Pleasantville, paid
her the ultimate compliment when he remarked that she was the only actor he had
seen who completely loses every trace of herself and disappears into a
character. She brings just the
right notes to Tracy. She smiles
and beams with enthusiasm, but never lets you forget for a moment that you
don’t want to cross her.
And in the end, isn’t it all much ado about nothing?
What do these school elections really mean, anyway?
Student council presidents don’t have any real power in school
administration…it’s just a nice footnote to put on a college resume.
In a sense, that’s really the core of the comedy in the film…the way
the characters resort to such ugliness over a rather meaningless thing is petty,
immature…and rather fun to watch.
Video ***1/2
Paramount did an impressive job with this high definition transfer. Colors and detail are solid throughout, with only a touch of more noticeable softness in backgrounds here and there. The print is clean and free from undue grain or marring effects.
Audio ***
It's not a particularly demanding TrueHD track...there are a few bursts of music here and there and a couple of more lively scenes, but overall, it's dialogue-driven, and oriented toward that. The rear stage and subwoofer get only sparing uses, but you don't really miss them, given the nature of the film.
Features **
The disc contains a commentary track by director Payne.
Summary:
Election is dark comedy at its best. It’s every bit as smart as it is satirical, biting without being mean (or, more correctly, mean without justification). It takes the simple premise of a high school election, an event that really doesn’t have that much importance in and of itself, and turns it into a battleground where the events on the surface don’t always reflect the seediness we see for ourselves. Best of all, it’s funny. VERY funny.
