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| Movies,
Graham Bower,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F2
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As school girl Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) begins to spell out her plans for global domination in a documentary style voice over at the beginning of Election, I was immediately reminded of Gus Van San's far superior movie "To Die For". There are many parallels to draw between Reese Witherspoon's character in Election, and Nicole Kidman's in To Die For. Indeed, there are many parallels that can be drawn between the two movies, but directorial vision is not one of them. Where To Die For is visually superb, with a strong cast and some stunning performances, Election feels very flat by comparison.
Mathew Broderick plays a middle of the road teacher Jim McAllister, whose lack of motivation or personality gives Broderick very little to work with. Hard to believe this is the man who made 'days off' the exclusive property of Ferris Bueller. Reese Witherspoon's Flick, however, strike the right balance between hateable and vulnerable. You're made to feel genuine compassion for her when you see the mother she has to deal with.
Despite the talent of Witherspoon and Broderick, Election ultimately fails to come to life because it falls uncomfortably between comic genres. Exhibiting neither the hyper-real social satire of John Walter's "Pecker", or the wry, cynical observation of Gus Van San's "To Die For" Election is ultimately a bland and unsatisfying film.
UK rating:
15
US rating:
R
Alexander Payne1999, US
Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon
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