Blu-ray Review: Election (1999)

Tracy Flick Won't Let a
Presidential Inauguration Get In Her Way
Pick Flick on Blu-ray
1/20/09

Already Available

Director Alexander Payne

Note:
Sideways Hits Blu-ray on 2/3

Author Tom Perrotta

Following the earlier comparison to Lucy in the Peanuts Cartoon Strip which called up images of the know-it-all bossy girl who ran an advice stand and dominated her male friends, after Alexander Payne's 1999 release of his cult favorite independent comedy Election, it seems as though every woman running for political office is compared to the film's fictional overachiever Tracy Enid Flick. For proof, enter in a female candidate's name and Tracy Flick on YouTube or turn on any major cable news channel and let the sexism rip.


Embodied by Reese Witherspoon in the film that launched her from supporting roles into the commanding Oscar winning presence she would become, Election garnered Ms. Witherspoon a Golden Globe nomination for her pitch perfect performance.

If Charlie Brown's Lucy isn't your thing, to put it bluntly, Tracy Flick is the brand of Type A, unrelenting ball-buster that makes men-- much like her film nemesis, the popular teacher turned selfish saboteur Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick playing the type of man that Ferris Bueller would've hated)-- both infinitely nervous and cross their legs. Thus, like McAllister, they'll do anything to crush her by any means necessary.

Payne's Election-- an unceasingly dark and satirical take filled with unsympathetic characters-- was inspired by the '98 novel by Little Children author Tom Perrotta who based his book on What Makes Sammy Run?, the '92 Bush/Clinton/Perot election and an incident where a Wisconsin high school faculty member burned winning ballots to prevent a pregnant student from becoming prom queen.

And although it's revealed that in the book, Tracy is far more attractive (with some phrasing quoted by Wikipedia that recalls Nabokov's Lolita) and there are major differences in plot concerning what happens to the ensemble characters, Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor pushed their version to the edge.

While it was released within a few years of the terrifically sunny take on high school-- Amy Heckerling's Jane Austen Emma inspired Clueless and Wes Anderson's humorous, melancholy, yet heartwarming Rushmore-- Election is a film for which it's truly hard to vote.

Despite the first-rate performances and writing--we're torn as we watch McAllister's unraveling personally and professionally as he persuades a dumb but sweet jock (Chris Klein in his first role) to run against the dedicated but friendless Tracy whose affair with his colleague destroyed him forever. Yet, by never truly giving us someone with which to empathize, we're a bit baffled by the overall mean-spiritedness of the purposely ugly feature that seems to specialize in finding the worst angles and most repulsive aspects of humanity to magnify.

It's a similar problem I had with the joyless and equally misanthropic About Schmidt and although I greatly admired Payne's sharp Citizen Ruth and still feel that Sideways was one of the best mature comedies of the last few years, I realize that no matter how many times I try and revisit Election as years go by (and this could very well be my eighth viewing), I evaluate more films, and gather more life experience, I still can't completely recommend it.

Finding humor in misery and appalling actions obviously exaggerated to effect-- while Payne's penchant for pain works exceedingly well in places such as showing the actual ugliness of teachers who have affairs with students as Tracy's instructor (in flashback) seduces her to Lionel Ritchie in his house with baby toys in the family room after a heart to heart at a pizza joint, most of the time we're not sure just what the director's attitude is about the story he's aspiring to tell.

Broderick completely breaks free from the stereotype of his youth as an '80s icon (as he did in Helen Hunt's superb Then She Found Me and the recent Magnolia film Finding Amanda which benefited mostly from his unscrupulous turn ) and I can't think of any other actress better suited for the manipulative, cutey-pie, fast-talking Flick than Witherspoon who seems to be taking a cue from Faye Dunaway in Network mixed with an Avon lady (which seems fitting because Witherspoon is now the face of Avon).

But, it must be said that for women, the film was essentially one step forward and two steps back. As recent as last week in the event of Caroline Kennedy's withdrawal for consideration for New York office (whether one agrees or disagrees with her campaign to take office in the first place is unimportant), political pundits on news channels began tossing around comparisons to Tracy Flick, just as they had for the women preceding her including Sarah Palin and Hillary Rodham Clinton (who was endlessly dubbed Flick).

Would Payne's Election have been as successful or memorable as if Broderick was trying to take down an overachieving male or is there something subconsciously rooted deep within us that finds the idea of super ambitious Type A women especially dangerous and worth ridiculing? Additionally, you have to wonder why women must try so very hard to compete and why even at times we turn on each other to do so, labeling one another Tracy Flick. I have my theory and the answer is that the fault lies not in Election's frequent use of the biblical metaphor involving the Apple or Eve but that the fault is directly Adam's (ahem, or McAllister's and by extension Payne's) in this particular case.

It's these questions that are well worth considering whether you love the film and/or hate it, just as one needs to question the choice of making the rest of the female characters mostly unlikable as well as Klein's trouble-making lesbian sister played by Jessica Campbell stereotypically tries to get even for a broken heart, Broderick's wife basically uses him as a stud endlessly hoping to get pregnant, and he goes after his colleague's ex and now sex-starved wife.

Still it must be said that one cannot argue that Broderick is the most reprehensible character of the lot. Yet foolishly there were some critiques that raised questions as to which character was worse-- Flick or McAllister that are just plain ridiculous as one was a child and one an adult authority figure. And willing to take the brunt of the blame as the film's idiot, Broderick is photographed in incredibly unflattering ways in the movie as he urinates on an apple tree as aforementioned, apples are used throughout as another Adam/Eve sexist metaphor as is the battle between Tracy who represents Coca Cola and McAllister who represents Pepsi. Despite this, Election is decidedly slanted in its portrayal of women who dare to dream.

And even if they annoy the hell out of us in the process with endless buttons and cupcakes like Flick, again and maybe it's unfortunate that this Blu-ray is released following a national election (and on the President's Inauguration no less) where sexism definitely played a role in media coverage-- ultimately, we must ask just how much of Tracy being a female is why the film is deemed so incredibly "funny" and why she's considered so "shrill."

Transferred to high definition-- while clarity is improved-- the color quality was always meant to be muted and purposely drab and ugly so the Blu-ray isn't overly impressive or necessary when compared to its DVD counterpart, especially considering that the sole extra feature is filmmaker commentary that runs throughout, making it unworthy of an upgrade unless you're a fan purchasing the film for the first time.

The Good Life (2007)

Explore the Trailer & Photo Gallery

Skateboarding champion turned writer/director Steve Berra's feature film debut begins with an ominous blend of voice-over narration and imagery as the troubled young protagonist Jason Prayer (Mark Webber) coolly discusses the impact of bullets as he walks down a wintry Midwestern street, packing a gun in his hand as he makes his way to a gathering crowd. While we aren't sure just what has transpired after a gunshot rings out, the haunting start stays with us, lingering in our minds as the film chronologically moves backwards in time to weeks earlier.

Quickly we become better acquainted with Jason-- an outcast in his Nebraskan football obsessed town-- who seems to be the type of individual who prefers to stay in the shadows or in corners, self-conscious about his outsider status partially as someone just not into the community's pastime and also with an immune disorder that has prevented him from growing any hair. Wearing a wig, hats, or hooded coats in public to prevent stares, he's nonetheless the unlikely and irrational target of the mean-spirited older Chris Klein, an athlete who seems to be permanently stuck in the past recounting his glory days whether or not anyone wants to listen.

After Jason's police officer father dies, he once again sets his mind on escape from his dreary surroundings but out of loyalty to his best friend and second father (Harry Dean Stanton), the dementia ridden, elderly owner and manager of an old movie theatre that specializes in screening films from Hollywood's Golden Age, he holds off. While his family life isn't much better, especially considering his bullying and obnoxious hyper male stereotype brother-in-law Donal Logue (who is essentially playing a second version of Klein's character), a ray of sunlight enters Jason's life when he meets a beautiful young woman who arrives out of the blue to witness Judy Garland's Harvey Girls on the big screen.

Calling herself Frances and discussing a troubled past as a girlhood singing sensation, Zooey Deschanel's Frances inspires, engages and tantalizes Jason, although anyone who has even more than a passing knowledge of Garland's biography realizes that she may not be exactly whom she claims to be. And sure enough, when things begin to spiral out of control in Jason's life, he begins marching towards the path that he took at the beginning of the film.

Yet Berra is intelligent and astute enough to pack a few twists into his movie, which prevents it from falling into the overcrowded realm of independent cinema chronicling the angst of young white males wanting to be anywhere but there in search of something better. However, it's safe to say that Berra hasn't cornered the market of what I prefer to call the "Gus Van Sant Genre" and the bleak and dreary The Good Life is bolstered by some bright spots including Zooey Deschanel belting out "On the Sunny Side of the Street."

And although it features a riveting performance by Mark Webber, the film-- nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival-- isn't exactly one you'd probably find yourself wanting to watch more than once. Not to mention the fact that the endless sea of indies about death, suicidal depression, and coming-of-dysfunctional-age are beginning to wear on viewers' patience, yet this one fares better than most since it seems to come from a more nostalgic and heartfelt place.

Day Zero

Director: Brian Gunnar Cole

“It’s our turn, guys. It’s only fair,” James Dixon (Jon Bernthal) reasons to his two best friends only a few scenes into director Brian Gunnar Cole’s feature film debut. In trying to air on the side of logic and patriotic duty, James argues the positive of the situation that finds the three friends all summoned for service in the American military from a reinstated draft that had lured sixteen million men into the armed forces from World War I through Vietnam before its suspension. Now, set in the near distant future of a world not only hit hard from the attacks of 9/11 but another lethal fictitious attack on Los Angeles, the draft has been made active again. According to the film, the draft coincides with our war on terror overseas growing much larger, encompassing other countries and the unfortunate need for an estimated twenty-five thousand additional troops is discussed on the radio has hopefully been satisfied by increasing the maximum draftable age to thirty-five years old, not only recruiting just college age men but leaders in corporate America as well.

While cab driver James Dixon eagerly looks forward to follow in the long line of soldiers in his family before he falls in love with a sociology graduate student (Elisabeth Moss), the timing couldn’t be worse for his two friends, neurotic writer Aaron Feller (Elijah Wood) halfway through his follow up book to his first successful work and married lawyer George Rifkin (Chris Klein) who has just been made partner of his firm and also can’t bear the thought of being away from his loving cancer survivor wife Molly (Ginnifer Goodwin) who’s recently made it to her five year disease free status. George’s actions to try and find a loophole out of the contract with Uncle Sam and Aaron’s increasingly erratic behavior after his indifferent therapist (Ally Sheedy) inspires him to create and carry out the items of a top ten list send him chasing down new experiences such as skydiving to far riskier fare, further alienate Dixon from his friends. Although, it seems illogical that three very different characters would remain this close for years and at times their actions seem far too contrived to believe and instead feel like they're just hitting some required notes in the “soldier movie” cliché list, it’s a compelling film made all the more timely given our fears of what kind of global climate has been evolving since we invaded Iraq.

While we’re always riveted by Klein and especially the fiery and passionate Bernthal, ultimately it is veteran actor Wood who is given the most highly unbelievable role of the film as a young man whose actions defy common sense as he begins to lose his grip of reality far too quickly. Adding insult to injury, the ultimately vague and perfunctory conclusion feels like a cheat to audiences who’ve invested time and emotion in the tale and it seems that director Cole and writer Robert Malkani quit filming about one or two vital minutes too early, as a more decisive action by one of the two characters we see in the final sequence would’ve had a greater impact than it’s passive blink-and-you-missed-it conclusion. For a better film about the moral quandaries of fighting our current war, look for Kimberly Peirce’s Stop Loss coming to theatres in a few weeks but Cole and Malkani at least receive admirable points for effort and intention for a work that, although uneven, never fails to make us think.