Taglines: Reading, Writing, Revenge.
Election movie storyline. Jim McAllister is a high school teacher in the suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska whose enthusiastic involvement at school masks his frustration with other aspects of his life. Tracy Flick is an overachieving senior with a secret vindictive and sexual side. Earlier in the year, Tracy had an affair with another teacher, Jim’s best friend Dave. As a result, Dave was fired and divorced by his wife Linda; Tracy, however, walked away without reprisal or punishment.
Tracy announces that she is running for student body president, which horrifies Jim, who is in charge of organizing the school’s student government and truly despises Tracy. Set to run unopposed, Jim decides to teach Tracy a lesson in humility by introducing another candidate. Paul Metzler is a polite and popular football player at the school. However, Paul is unable to play football his final year due to a broken leg, leaving him depressed. Jim convinces him to register for the election, giving him new purpose. This serves to bring out Tracy’s vindictiveness, as she is jealous of Paul’s ease at being successful and popular.
Meanwhile, Paul’s younger sister Tammy is dumped by her lover, Lisa, who says that she is straight and was just “experimenting”. Lisa quickly becomes Paul’s new girlfriend and campaign manager, in part to anger Tammy. In retaliation, Tammy decides to run for president as well, with a platform that student government is a sham.
During a school assembly to hear their speeches, after Tracy draws only polite applause and Paul gets a strong reaction, Tammy delivers a defiant speech in which she denounces the election and that she will dissolve the student government if elected. This rallies the student body to a standing ovation. Fearing the student body will not vote, Tammy is suspended and kicked out of the election.
While at school two nights later, Tracy tries to fix one of her posters, but accidentally tears it. In a fit of uncharacteristic rage, she destroys all of Paul’s campaign posters. The next day, she claims innocence and threatens legal action against the school when Jim accuses her. However, Tammy “confesses” to Tracy’s crime after witnessing her disposing of the refuse by the town factory. She is then transferred to a private parochial school for girls, which was the original objective of her false confession.
Election is a 1999 American black comedy-drama film directed and written by Alexander Payne and adapted by him and Jim Taylor from Tom Perrotta’s 1998 novel of the same title. The plot revolves around a high school election and satirizes both suburban high school life and politics. The film stars Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister, a popular high school social studies teacher in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, and Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick, around the time of the school’s student body election. When Tracy qualifies to run for class president, McAllister believes she does not deserve the title and tries his best to stop her from winning.
Election (1999)
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Mark Harelik, Phil Reeves, Molly Hagan, Frankie Ingrassia, Jeanine Jackson
Screenplay by: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Production Design by: Jane Ann Stewart
Cinematography by: James Glennon
Film Editing by: Kevin Tent
Costume Design by: Wendy Chuck
Set Decoration by: Renee Davenport
Art Direction by: T.K. Kirkpatrick
Music by: Rolfe Kent
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality, sex-related dialogue and language, and a scene of drug use.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 7, 1999
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