Election

Director Alexander (CITIZEN RUTH) Payne's second film, based on the novel by Tom Perotta, takes the scandal and mudslinging associated with presidential elections and transposes them to a high school election for student council president in Nebraska- with impossibly sharp, satirical results. Matthew Broderick, in a reversal of FERRIS BUELLER, plays Jim McAllister, a teacher who will stop at nothing to prevent perfect Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), who is running unopposed, from winning the election. Jim, who bears a personal grudge against Tracy, goads a popular but dim football player (Chris Klein) into running against her. This spurs on a series of strange events (both madcap and surprisingly sexual), which add up to an uncommonly funny high school film for adults. Performances are great all-around, and Payne uses shifting narration and a series of freeze frames to give the film a rich and layered feel.