Election (1999)
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, (more)
- Director(s):
- Alexander Payne
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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In this satirical comedy, a hotly contested high school election becomes a metaphor for the current state of American politics. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is a popular and well-respected instructor at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska, but lately he's been unhappy in both his personal and professional life, and his anxieties finally come to a head with the school's student elections. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is running for student body president, and she certainly seems like the sort of girl who would win a high school election -- she's pretty, popular and takes part in all the right extra-curricular activities. In fact, she seems so perfect she's running unopposed, which offends McAllister's sense of democracy (not to mention the fact he doesn't like her very much). So Jim intervenes and persuades Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to run against Tracy. Paul is not terribly bright and is entirely unqualified to be student president, but as a star of the school's football team (before a leg injury sidelined him), he's popular enough to at least give Tracy a run for her money. Just as the race begins to heat up, a spanner is truly thrown into the works when Paul's sister, Tammy (Jessica Campbell) announces she's also running for office. Publicly, Tammy's platform is that the student elections are ultimately pointless and if she's elected, she'll eliminate them altogether. Privately, Tammy is out for revenge against her brother; it seems Tammy is experimenting with her sexuality, and a recent fling with a bisexual classmate named Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia) ended when Lisa dumped her to start going out with Paul. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, Election was directed by Alexander Payne, who won enthusiastic reviews for his debut feature, Citizen Ruth; Payne also co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 103 mins
Complete Cast:
- Matthew Broderick - Jim McAllister
- Chris Klein - Paul Metzler
- Mark Harelik - Dave Novotny
- Molly Hagan - Diane McAllister
- Colleen Camp - Barbara Flick
- Matt Malloy - Vice Principal Ron Bell
- Holmes Osborne - Dick Metzler
- Marilyn Tipp - Carver Office Lady
- Jonathan Marion - Classroom Student
- Matt Golden - Kid in Georgetown Hall
- Jillian Crane - Jillian
- Amy Falcone - Classroom Student
- Heather Koenig - Kid in Georgetown Hall
- Emily Martin - Girl in Crisis
- Joel Parks - Jerry Slavin
- Christa Young - Adult Video Actress
- James Devney - Motel Clerk
- Reese Witherspoon - Tracy Flick
- Jessica Campbell - Tammy Metzler
- Phil Reeves - Walt Hendricks
- Delaney Driscoll - Linda Novotny
- Frankie Igrassia - Lisa Flanagan
- Jeanine Jackson - Jo Metzler
- Jeannie Brayman - Faculty Ballot-Giver
- Nick D'Agosto - Larry Fouch
- Nick Kenny - "Eat Me" Boy's Buddy
- Matt Justesen - "Eat Me" Boy
- Jason Paige - Kid in Georgetown Hall
- L. Carmen Novoa - Spanish Teacher
- David Wenzel - Tracy's Friend Eric
- Loren Nelson - Custodian
- Brian Tobin - Adult Video Actor
- Larry Kaiser - Chemistry Teacher
- Director(s):
- Alexander Payne
- Writer(s):
- Jim Taylor, Alexander Payne
- Producer(s):
- Ron Yerxa, Albert Berger, David Gale
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Sexual Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Adult Humor, Watch With Your Teen)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1999 - Election - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Director
- 1999 - Election - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Screenplay
- 1999 - Election - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Screenplay
- 1999 - Election - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Picture
- 1999 - Election - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - New Generation Award
- 1999 - Election - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - New Generation Award
- 1999 - Election - National Board of Review - Outstanding Indies
- 1999 - Election - National Society of Film Critics - Best Screenplay (Runner-up)
- 1999 - Election - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actress
- 1999 - Election - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Screenplay
- 1999 - Election - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Screenplay
- 1999 - Election - Writers Guild of America - Best Adapted Screenplay
- 1999 - Election - Writers Guild of America - Best Adapted Screenplay
