Election on Blu-ray & DVD (1999)

Election

1999

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

from 10,580 members

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. In fact, she seems so perfect she's running unopposed, which offends McAllister's sense of democracy (not to mention the fact he doesn't like her very much). So Jim intervenes and persuades Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to run against Tracy. Paul is not terribly bright and is entirely unqualified to be student president, but as a star of the school's football team (before a leg injury sidelined him), he's popular enough to at least give Tracy a run for her money. Just as the race begins to heat up, a spanner is truly thrown into the works when Paul's sister, Tammy (Jessica Campbell) announces she's also running for office. Publicly, Tammy's platform is that the student elections are ultimately pointless and if she's elected, she'll eliminate them altogether. Privately, Tammy is out for revenge against her brother; it seems Tammy is experimenting with her sexuality, and a recent fling with a bisexual classmate named Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia) ended when Lisa dumped her to start going out with Paul. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, Election was directed by Alexander Payne, who won enthusiastic reviews for his debut feature, Citizen Ruth; Payne also co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Election details

Formats:	15 DVD, Blu-ray
Starring:	Phil Reeves, Mark Harelik, Jessica Campbell, Chris Klein, Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick, Matthew Broderick
Director:	Alexander Payne
Genres:	Comedy - Crime, General, Drama - Teen, Gay/Lesbian - General, Romance - Teen
Studio:	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Name	Discs
Election	15 Feature

DVD Information

Run time:	1 hour 39 minutes
Rental release:	04 Dec 2000
Main languages:	English
Dubbed:	German, Czech, Hungarian
Subtitles:	Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish
Hearing impaired subtitles:	English

Name	Discs
Election	15 Feature

Blu-ray Information

Run time:	1 hour 43 minutes
Rental release:	10 Aug 2009
Main languages:	English
Subtitles:	English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Hearing impaired subtitles:	English

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Most helpful review Election

A black comedy, ...

By Marie#59 from BRISTOL , 08 Jul 2004

[Highly rated reviewer]

A black comedy, excellently acted by Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Not as cheesy as many films in the High School genre.
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What's The Difference Between Ethics And Morals?!

By Richie77777 (250 reviews) from Essex , 14 Apr 2013

Very much enjoyed it, (even though I've seen it a few times before). RW and MB are the two stand out actors. The chap from American Pie is good to some extent at what he does. The film is seen from various view points and it explores, in perhaps a light hearted way, the darker side of the human personality. From people stepping on top of one another to get to the top to lustful desires.
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High School background

By a customer , 19 Mar 2013

A worrying insight to the way American high schools are run. Enjoyable in a weird sort of way. Just how free are morals in America?
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Witherspoon is delicious as the ambitious loner

By twosoddingcats (214 reviews) from Kingston-upon-Thames , 11 Feb 2013

Reece Withespoon has no friends is her dull town in Nebraska and only wants to be class president…only that doesn’t sit well with teacher Matthew Broderick, still seething she got his best friend and co-worker fired for sleeping with her. Just a delight to watch and Chris Klein is brilliant as the thick popular jock Broderick convinces to run for president also. Wonderful watching Broderick’s life fall apart (a bit like Kevin Spacey in ‘American Beauty’).
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Very bad taste

By a customer , 25 Oct 2012

This film is not about a high school election at all..... it is about teachers having affairs with geeky pupils, ruining their own lives and happy families in the process. Not so much of a comedy as a very bad taste blue movie. Not impressed.
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Well Made

By buffyrules (335 reviews) from southend on sea , 23 Jul 2012

A quirky tale well made and very well acted. Makes me wonder why Broderick has done so little since Bueller. This is not a run of a mill high school comedy and shines above most of a similar genre. At times it's unashamadly shocking and funny at the same time.
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