Election

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Election

R

1999

1h 43m

Comedy

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), a well-liked high school government teacher, can't help but notice that successful student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) uses less than ethical tactics to get what she wants. When Tracy runs for school president, Jim feels that she will be a poor influence on the student body and convinces Paul, a dim-witted but popular student athlete, to run against Tracy. When she becomes aware of Jim's secret involvement in the race, a bitter feud is sparked.

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Critics Consensus

Election successfully combines dark humor and intelligent writing in this very witty and enjoyable film.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

03/03/2018

The comedy may not resonate as deeply as the well-named Payne intends, but between Witherspoon's exuberant solipsism and Broderick's talent for absorbing massive humiliation, the chuckles keep coming like poisoned darts.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

08/24/2010

The treatment of this touchy material is impressive, neither gratuitous nor mincing, but this 1999 satirical comedy doesn't really go anywhere.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

08/24/2010

An instant classic, Alexander Payne's 1999 high school comedy seems even more scathing now that we're losing control of our own election machinery.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

04/20/2024

3/5

To modern eyes, it looks like he’s mad at a teenage girl for getting molested by his friend- something that, through a contemporary lens, makes Jim look a lot more evil than he did 25 years ago (25th anniversary)

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Al Topich

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

01/06/2023

The cast is fun and quirky, but Witherspoon really stands out. She gives a perfect performance.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

09/18/2021

4/4

A movie of unexpected savagery and caustic wit.

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rex W

@RT11010153 Mar 24

"Election" would be a cute little high school movie except they thought it was cool to include a student/teacher extramarital affair as comedy. There is nothing funny about married grown men having sex with underage teenagers.

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BRIAN B

@BRIANBAILEY Jan 27

The Best Picture of 1999.

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Joseph M

@Jmads06 Jan 7

I don't think it's about real politics like some of the other reviews, but that's a good thing because this movie turns a pretty boring occurrence into a hilarious series of events. The subtext of morals makes the movie even more hilarious because the protagonist does some vile stuff. All the character acting is amazing and I'm surprised I didn't hear about this movie earlier. The only flaw in the movie is that some people will find the protagonist's thoughts and actions too gross to find funny. I'd totally recommend though!

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Oggie B

@OGDawg Nov 29

Payne and Taylor are equal opportunity satirists and their sly wit dismantles everything from high school culture to suburban complacency.

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Kirk P

@KirkShameless Nov 28

I just watched this again for now the third time. Such an entertaining movie. The characters are all so well developed and hilarious. It's a comedy that covers important issues and pulls it off. Most of the characters are not clearly the good guy. It would probably be rated 100 if it didn't offend older women who can't just be happy watching what happens to the older men in the movie. We didn't have #MeToo then or laws so people can sue 30 (ish) - some can't remember - years later.

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Noel L

@RT15930389 Nov 15

I don't know what to say really. It was hard to root for anyone

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Alexander Payne

Director

Matthew Broderick

James T. 'Jim' McAllister

Reese Witherspoon

Tracy Enid Flick

Chris Klein

Paul Metzler

Jessica Campbell

Tammy Metzler

Mark Harelik

Dave Novotny

Election: Official Clip - McCallister Must Stop Tracy Now

1:30

Election: Official Clip - Apples, Oranges and Democracy

1:36

Election: Official Clip - Tracy Flick Isn't Upset

1:32

Election: Official Clip - Who Cares About This Stupid Election?

1:38

Election: Official Clip - Pre-Election Prayers

1:56

Election: Official Clip - Seeing Tracy Again

2:11

Election: Official Clip - All Over for McAllister

2:09

Election: Official Clip - Tammy Runs for President

2:09

Election: Official Clip - Slanderous Accusations

2:13

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Synopsis

Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), a well-liked high school government teacher, can't help but notice that successful student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) uses less than ethical tactics to get what she wants. When Tracy runs for school president, Jim feels that she will be a poor influence on the student body and convinces Paul, a dim-witted but popular student athlete, to run against Tracy. When she becomes aware of Jim's secret involvement in the race, a bitter feud is sparked.

Director: Alexander Payne
Producer: Albert Berger, David Gale, Keith Samples, Ron Yerxa
Screenwriter: Tom Perrotta, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Distributor: MTV Productions, Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Bona Fide Productions, MTV Films
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 7, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.9M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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