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Election [1999] [DVD]
 
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Election [1999] [DVD]

DVD ~ Matthew Broderick
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Customers buy this item with Rushmore [DVD] [1999] DVD ~ Jason Schwartzman

Election [1999] [DVD] + Rushmore [DVD] [1999]
  • This item: Election [1999] [DVD] DVD ~ Matthew Broderick

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Rushmore [DVD] [1999] DVD ~ Jason Schwartzman

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Election [1999] [DVD]
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Product details

  • Actors: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Phil Reeves
  • Directors: Alexander Payne
  • Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Tom Perrotta
  • Producers: Albert Berger, David Gale, Jacobus Rose, Jim Burke
  • Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
  • Language English, German
  • Subtitles: English, German, Swedish, Turkish, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Finnish, Romanian, Bulgarian
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 4 Dec 2000
  • Run Time: 99 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0000505GZ
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,666 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Matthew Broderick makes up for years of wet-noodle performances with his low-key but unsparing characterisation of Jim McAllister, a high-school teacher at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Driven by a strange mixture of loathing and lust for pathologically overachieving student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), McAllister encourages a dim but popular athlete, Paul (Chris Klein from American Pie), to run against her in the election for student-council president. Director/co-writer Alexander Payne (Citizen Ruth) turns this deceptively simple premise into a complex and scathing comedy of ambition, corruption and desire, all at its most naked and petty. Every scene contains some painfully funny nuance that will make you wince in a mixture of astonishment and empathy. Witherspoon flips effortlessly back and forth from adolescent vulnerability to steely-eyed strength; she is becoming a contemporary Carole Lombard. The movie itself feels like a magnificent throwback to the richly layered comedies of the 1930s, which drew their humour from sharply drawn characters and twisting plots instead of explosions of bodily fluids. With a wealth of smart, cutting details, Election rewards multiple viewing. --Bret Fetzer

Special Features
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
Czech\German\Hungarian
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English German\Surround Czech Hungarian
Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround
Audio Commentary With Director Alexander Payne
Bulgarian\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\German\Norwegian\Polish\Romanian\Swedish\Turkish


See all Reviews

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Witherspoon and Broderick shine in high school comedy, 11 Nov 2005
By Kona (Emerald City) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
This wonderful comedy is set in a Nebraska high school during the student body elections. Over-achiever and seemingly perfect student Tracy (Reese Witherspoon) is running unopposed for the office of president. The student advisor is straight-arrow teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) who's having a lot of trouble at home. He doesn't like the way Tracy always wins everything she goes after, so he decides to put up an unlikely candidate to run against her. During the campaign we learn that Tracy is not above damaging her opponent's chances. And Jim also proves less than honorable, both at home and in the school election.

Witherspoon and Broderick are absolutely charismatic here and I couldn't wait to see what they would do next. She's beautiful, calculating, and just the kind of little-miss-perfect you knew in high school. He's very watchable as a good teacher and a flawed man who maybe is a bit jealous of his student's long list of accomplishments. The movie is sly and always funny, thanks to an insightful script and the charm of the two stars. Relive those high school days with "Election," a spot-on, behind-the-scenes look at teenage politics and popularity.

Kona

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly black comedy, 10 Dec 2005
By dragondrums "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Tracey Flick (Reece Witherspoon) is a high flying and highly ambitious student at a Nebraskan high school. The film follows her campaign to become student-council president. Matthew Broderick plays the part of teacher, Jim McAllister, who loathes the ‘perfect’ Tracey and yet has an overwhelming desire for her. Giving in to his hatred of her, McAllister throws his professionalism aside and encourages a rather dim witted, but very popular jock, Paul Metzler (played by Chris Klein) to run against her whilst also doing his utmost to scupper Tracey’s chances by ‘fixing’ the vote count. Things get even more complicated when Paul’s sister Tammy, the school misfit, also decides to have a shot at the presidency.
This is not the usual teenage high school movie; its humour is far too black for that. The dialogue is brilliantly witty and sharp and has some genuinely ‘laugh out loud’ moments whilst other scenes will make you cringe as the protagonists lives disintegrate before your eyes. The prim and proper Tracey raises feelings of sympathy and revulsion in equal measure while McAllister is a character that deserves everything that comes to him…and come it does. The beauty of this film is in its characterisation, no character is one dimensional but a wonderful mixture of good and bad, all with their flaws.
For anyone wanting a comedy that is black as coal and saccharine free, this is the movie to watch, absolutely brilliant.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent satire of school politics., 17 Jan 2003
By Jason Parkes "We're all Frankies'" (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Election [VHS] [1999] (VHS Tape)
Alexander Payne's earlier material, Citizen Ruth and this comedy from 1999, might gain more interest with the upcoming release of About Schmidt (2003)- that has garnered both critical acclaim & commercial success in the States (and appears to have a brilliant performance from Jack Nicholson, on a par with his turn in The Pledge). This film is, bizarrely, produced by MTV- which appears to be at odds with the bite it has & the fact MTV have produced such lame PC-drivel like Save the Last Dance.

The story is centred around student politics & adult indisgression's- parts of this film reminded me of writers like Philip Roth & Jonathan Franzen (the affair between Tracy & Dave reminded me a little of the Chip-section in The Corrections). Following the dismissal & destruction of co-teacher Dave Novotny, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick in a career best performance) vaguely blames Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Tracy is one of the over-ambitious, the sole candidate for student president. In an unconscious (?) act of revenge, Mr M. talks an injured football player (American Pie's Chris Klein) into standing against her. Add to this a complication when the lesbian sister of the football player is left by a cheerleader for her brother- precipitating an anarchistic third candidate.

Election is an excellent satire, personally I rate it over recent misanthropic films like Happiness and American Beauty- alongside Lawn Dogs, it is one of the best portraits of America in recent years. Look at this film, then look at the debacle in Florida 2000's "Election" that saw George Dubya get "elected". So, is Dubya the Klein-character- rich, everything handed to him on a plate, with people prepared to send him in as a patsy to defeat the enemy, get their own perspective on board, slightly dim & part of the jock establishment? Or, is he Tracy- who will do anything, including getting "friends and associates" to count her results, trash the enemy while painting over her own misdeameanours & threatening legal action when things aren't going her way? Either way, I'm with Tammy and her "F**k everything" notion- it's notable that she garners the true popular vote here, though has been discounted from the election when falling on her own sword...

The tone of this film is quite odd, pitiful (Dave at the end of the film) & unusual (Linda, Dave's ex-wife is not that attractive, ditto Jim & Diana); Reese Witherspoon delivers a brilliant performance. The moment where she realises she loses is great, particularly the after-shot of her crying on her bed: literally destructing on-screen and reminding me of Charlotte Rampling in Stardust Memories (1980). The final moments of the film see Jim reinvent himself, pitying Tracy when he sees her for the last time- you do get the feeling her ambitions have made her the loneliest person in the world (hey, I even thought about Nixon. Or, at least, Anthony Hopkins interpretation of him in Oliver Stone's film). Love the hilarious end scene, where eternal recurrence appears in Jim's utopic new life...

Election is an excellent black comedy, proof that Americans can do irony & satire at the drop of a hat- countering the frequent British accusations that they can't do either (as we make classics like Purely Belter, Bend it like Beckham & Mean Machine!!). It's a lot more adult than most US-teen movies, which tend to hinge around sex and farting in a juvenile manner. Highly recommended and at this budget price, a bargain!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Dear Lord Jesus, I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow"
"Dear Lord Jesus," prays Tracy Flick the night before the election for student body president, "I do not often speak with you and ask for things, but now, I really must insist... Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. O. DeRiemer

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining throughout 99 minutes
This was an entertaining film to watch throughout its length but was neither very funny or very happy or sad. Read more
Published 21 months ago by dan the fan

1.0 out of 5 stars Dark? Yes. Comedy? Definitely not!
After watching this on TV last night, I, at first, couldn't really decide if I had enjoyed it or not. Thinking back over it now I don't think I did. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Babygirl

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
how this film is so unheard of is beyond me. this is icredible outstanding and original film making, but i guess thats what you expect fom director Alexander Payne (sideways). Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Hood

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime
This is a fantastic film. So dark, ambiguous and funny. It touches on many sensitive issues. Is it good to be a super ambitious kid, sexuality, the dilemmas that teachers face,... Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2007 by William Cohen

2.0 out of 5 stars Very average
Upon viewing this movie, I got the impression that the director had made a reasonable movie with one or two genuinely original ideas in it, only to cancel these out with pointless... Read more
Published on 14 April 2007 by M. McManus

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick this Flick
pick this Flick and you will not be dissapointed this is probably the finest piece of black comedy you will see , the story is about a high school election and the twists and... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2007 by M. A. Canavan

4.0 out of 5 stars good film
good film well worth watching, very funny
But be warned do not watch with children or parents
as sex acts take place and are mentioned a few times, more like shouted out !
Published on 1 May 2005 by MOVIE BUFF

3.0 out of 5 stars "What's the difference between morals and ethics?"
Election is a very difficult movie to classify and review. With staple actors from the teen pulp genre, like Reese Witherspoon and Chris Klein, it would be easy to write it off... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2003 by Jennifer Litchfield

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superbly Crafted Film
Alexander Payne has come up with a film that is such a delight to watch again and again. It is a film which glaringly shows up the fallibility of most human beings. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2003 by Balraj Gill

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