loading loading...

Election Details

1999 DVD Certificate 15.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 7899 members

Director Alexander (CITIZEN RUTH) Payne's second film, based on the novel by Jim Perotta, takes the scandal and mudslinging associated with presidential elections and transposes them to a high school election for student council president in Nebraska- with impossibly sharp, satirical results. Matthew Broderick, in a reversal of .. Read more

Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell
Director Alexander Payne
Genres Comedy, Drama

Sign up Election DVD, Blu-ray

Buy From: £4.93

loading loading...

Election cover art

Election

Director Alexander (CITIZEN RUTH) Payne's second film, based on the novel by Jim Perotta, takes the scandal and mudslinging associated with presidential elections and transposes them to a high school election for student council president in Nebraska- with impossibly sharp, satirical results. Matthew Broderick, in a reversal of FERRIS BUELLER, plays Jim McAllister, a teacher who will stop at nothing to prevent perfect Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), who is running unopposed, from winning the election. Jim, who bears a personal grudge against Tracy, goads a popular but dim football player into running against her. This spurs on a series strange events, (both madcap and surprisingly sexual) which add up to an uncommonly funny high school film for grown ups. Performances are great all-around and Payne uses shifting-narration and a series of freeze frames which give the film a rich and layered feel.

Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Mark Harelik, Phil Reeves
Director Alexander Payne
Studio PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 39 mins
Blu-ray: 1 hr 43 mins
Certificate DVD Certificate 15.gif
Genres Comedy, Drama
Language English
Dubbed Czech, German, Hungarian
Hearing-impaired English
Subtitles Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish
Released DVD: 04 Dec 2000
Blu-ray: 10 Aug 2009
Production year: 1999
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (6) of Election

    View all
  • 4 stars out of 5

    Topping the league table of recent high-school movies, this is the rightful heir to the John Hughes youth-antics tradition. The casting of Matthew Broderick (familiar to many as determined truant Ferris Bueller) as a devoted teacher trying to prevent manipulative overachiever Reese Witherspoon from becoming student president is inspired. Director/co-writer Alexander Payne is repaid by his star with a performance of sincere, if muddled, idealism. Pitted against jock Chris Klein (a pretender for Keanu's slacker crown) and his lesbian sister (Jessica Campbell making a revelatory debut), Witherspoon's blend of corruption and compassion slyly satirises contemporary American politics, while George Washington Carver High School serves as a microcosm of fin-de-siècle society. Astute, offbeat and uproarious.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006
  • 3 stars out of 4

    Witty, inventive satire that, although given a high-school setting, makes telling points about the politics and underhand methods involved in all kinds of power struggles.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of Election

    View all
  • 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    A black comedy, excellently acted by Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Not as cheesy as many films in the High School genre.

      • Marie#59 from BRISTOL
      • Posted 08 Jul 2004 23:35

  • Most recent members' review of Election

    View all
  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Quirky film, good stuff!

    Tracy Flick (played by the brilliant Reese Witherspoon) reminds me of Hillary Clinton! Hysterical. This is a dark comedy - not what I was expecting. Highly recommend this film...

      • A customer from East Anglia
      • Posted 08 Dec 2008 20:10

  • News and features

    View all
    The Amityville Horror

    Witherspoon lines up next project

    • 20 Oct 2006

    Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon is to produce Bell Witch, a film about a woman who experiences strange phenomena and consequently becomes obsessed by a supernatural legend. Scott Kosar, who wrote the remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror, is scripting the movie which Witherspoon may also star in, according to Empire Online. Awarded the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter in Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, Witherspoon's varied roster of films... Read more

  • More like this

    View all
    Showing 1 to 4 of 20

    loading

Find cinemas


Rating breakdown

7,899 Member ratings
  • 100
493
  • 90
670
  • 80
1,693
  • 70
1,581
  • 60
1,521
  • 50
813
  • 40
505
  • 30
287
  • 20
234
  • 10
102

Related user collection

Thigh smacking Psychological films (16)

Average rating: 3.89   77.8% from 22 members

Showing 1 to 3 of 16

View all

loading

by: Oliver Shorley-Smith from Bedfordshire

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop

    • Election - BLU-RAY Version

    • Election - BLU-RAY Version
    • Blu-Ray: £11.93
      Free Delivery
    • RRP £19.99 (you save: 40%)
      • Director Alexander (CITIZEN RUTH) Payne's second film, based on the novel by Jim Perotta, takes the scandal and mudslinging associated with presidential elections and transposes them to a high school ...
    • Election

    • Election
    • DVD: £4.93
      Free Delivery
    • RRP £12.79 (you save: 61%)
      • Director Alexander (CITIZEN RUTH) Payne's second film, based on the novel by Jim Perotta, takes the scandal and mudslinging associated with presidential elections and transposes them to a high school ...