Election

I know I'm dealing with a film of uncommon intelligence when it resists the tidy summations in which most films are all-too-eager to wrap themselves. Like Citizen Ruth, Alexander Payne's previous film, Election is a satirical scalpel that refuses to let you know exactly when or whom it's going to cut. On the surface, it's the story of a high school election in Omaha, Nebraska, where extracurricular machine Tracy Flick (the ever-more-wonderful Reese Witherspoon) sees the student council presidency as her destiny, but her civics teacher Mr. McAlister (Matthew Broderick) wants to throw some obstacles in her path. If Election had been nothing more than a comedy about adolescent peer politics, it still would have been more insightful than most teen comedies. Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor instead turn the election into a microcosm of politics on a grander scale, from I-feel-your-pain speeches to vapid sloganeering. If the film stumbles anywhere, it's in letting McAlister's domestic troubles dominate the second half, abandoning some potentially fruitful supporting characters. Fortunately, it's too clear-eyed in its probing study of good intentions muddled by psychological baggage to be seriously derailed. Highly recommended. (S. Renshaw)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 20, 2009—Paramount, 103 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's Election features an excellent transfer and a 5.0 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. The sole Blu-ray extra is an audio commentary by director Alexander Payne. Bottom line: one of 1999's best films looks super in Blu.][Blu-ray/DVD Review—Dec. 12, 2017—Criterion, 103 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1999's Election features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by director Alexander Payne, Payne's 1990 UCLA thesis film “The Passion of Martin” with a new intro (60 min.), the 2016 “making-of” documentary “TruInside” (41 min.), a new interview with star Reese Witherspoon (11 min.), an Omaha local-news report on the film's production (2 min.), and an essay by critic Dana Stevens. Bottom line: this Criterion edition of Payne's biting satire sparkles on Blu-ray.]