In this satirical comedy, a hotly contested high school election becomes a metaphor for the current state of American politics. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is a popular and well-respected instructor at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska, but lately he’s been unhappy in both his personal and professional life, and his anxieties finally come to a head with the school’s student elections. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is running for student body president, and she certainly seems like the sort of girl who would win a high school election — she’s pretty, popular and takes part in all the right extra-curricular activities. 
“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.” — J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
“ELECTION at first has the feel of a simple work. But don’t let that fool you; it’s a complex, deep tale.” — Ted Anthony, Associated Press
