Review of Election (2005) by Jamie F — 10 Nov 2008

The first of three comedies I watched this weekend, and easily the best. Alexander Payne and his cast are at the top of their game here, except for Chris Klein (who absolutely CANNOT ACT and has slipped into obscurity for good reason). Reese Witherspoon was the big breakout from this movie for a reason. She flawlessly channels that girl in high school that were dying to kick the shit out of. Matthew Broderick is good too, but constructing a career around being smarmy really sucks (ask Hayden Christensen!).

The script feels a little re-written for mass audiences (to no real success, since it fell ten million dollars short of recouping its production budget), what with its tireless voiceover narration. It's obviously there to pick up the slack for the subtleties, but Payne does a great job dressing it up so that it's enjoyable to listen to and not obtrusive. An excellent dissertation on both modern politics and student government, Election excels on many levels.