10 Greatest Movies About American Politics
4. Election
Alexander Payne’s 1999 comedy is about the low stakes world of high school governance, but it speaks to the issues inherent in politics at all levels, all around the world - cults of personality, self interest, and the lust for power at the heart of any serious candidate.
In a brilliant piece of casting, Matthew Broderick, the former Ferris Bueller, plays Jim McAllister, an increasingly uptight teacher. He enters into a mainly one-sided feud with Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon in a breakthrough role), and winds up wading into the gritty world of the student president race.
Unwilling to cede further power to the nakedly ambitious Flick, McAllister coaches a sweet natured, popular but dumb jock to run for president too. What should be a chance to teach kids about politics turns into, basically, exactly that. The well liked knucklehead coasts along with minimal effort, and the one serious candidate, an outcast girl with genuine ideas, is left floundering.
Election takes a cute concept and runs with it to its natural conclusion, as the race runs out of control and the stakes rise ever higher. It’s a smart and funny film with a level of depth it didn’t need elevating it higher.