A unique and dark take on the high school movie, with a desperate and brave performance from Broderick and an iconic one from Witherspoon - somehow we're made to sympathise with the adulterous, petty teacher over the high-achieving young girl from a single-parent family - Broderick makes us cringe in his self-pity and Witherspoon frightens in her precocious and cunning ways chasing some elusive goal. Not all performances are as impressive - Paul is very hammy, who feels like he's from a different movie. Not all plot threads are handled equally either - Tammy's story gets lost in the fold towards the end. But it's an unpredictable movie, with enough quirks and moments of genius visually or in the script (including lots of foreshadowing, symbolism and recurring jokes that reward close viewing) that made me like this movie a lot, and look forward to the other films of Payne.

Has there ever been a film character as deliciously, wonderfully and somehow obliviously evil as Tracy Flick? Not to say that everyone in this movie isn't amazing - Broderick's probably doing the better work (the way he slowly descends into a pathetic asshole without every acting like he's anything but an upstanding citizen is astounding - maybe his best work) but Tracy is just an icon from the moment she walks on screen. She's a preppy, hard working go-getter Antichrist.

A very funny tragicomic story centred around a high school election. I liked the way that the film was related by the very different personalities involved in the election, the different ways it affected their lives and the lessons they learned (and didn't learn) as a result.
I think 8½/10 which now leaves me to decide between 4 and 4½ stars... 4 stars with a 'like' is the only way to go...

Brilliant. A film that really showcases Alexander Payne's talent for satirical comedy. With the exception of Chris Klein's character, every character in this movie is peevish and unlikable, but extremely well written. Reese Witherspoon is truly remarkable and I honestly have no idea why she didn't get nominated for Best Actress. Easily one of the greatest performances of all time in one of the greatest films of all time

Review coming soon.

Alexander Payne is at his very best with this comedy about three teenagers running for president in their student elections. The Oscar winning filmmaker manages to blend the unique culture and cliques of an American high school with a biting political satire about crooked campaign politics. Don't let the fact that it's a high school movie deceive you - this is sharp, witty and insightful stuff.

A funny dark comedy with a terrific performance by Reese Witherspoon at its center. The script is quite funny at times, with a lot of interesting things to say and fascinating characters. My biggest problem with it is the amount of time spent on the personal life of Matthew Broderick's character. It is not interesting and distracts from the main plot. I also felt that the film went for shock value a bit too much. But the film still works and is worth seeing for Witherspoon alone.

Brilliant. A film that really showcases Alexander Payne's talent for satirical comedy. With the exception of Chris Klein's character, every character in this movie is peevish and unlikable, but extremely well written. Reese Witherspoon is truly remarkable and I honestly have no idea why she didn't get nominated for Best Actress. Easily one of the greatest performances of all time in one of the greatest films of all time

A Movie Every Year Since I was Born

Movie #15 1999

I found this middle of the road, it was a decent movie and one I'm sure in time I will sit back down and watch again.

Although I didn't think this was Reese Witherspoon's greatest movie either. I enjoyed her performance in this and found her funny and charming.

Broderick was quite funny too.

I wasn't sure if this was suppose to be a serious movie or a dark comedy, I think that is why I didn't find it great.

An interesting film mostly light-hearted, but with some interesting observations about American high schools and also what it means to be successful.

A unique and dark take on the high school movie, with a desperate and brave performance from Broderick and an iconic one from Witherspoon - somehow we're made to sympathise with the adulterous, petty teacher over the high-achieving young girl from a single-parent family - Broderick makes us cringe in his self-pity and Witherspoon frightens in her precocious and cunning ways chasing some elusive goal. Not all performances are as impressive - Paul is very hammy, who feels like he's from a different movie. Not all plot threads are handled equally either - Tammy's story gets lost in the fold towards the end. But it's an unpredictable movie, with enough quirks and moments of genius visually or in the script (including lots of foreshadowing, symbolism and recurring jokes that reward close viewing) that made me like this movie a lot, and look forward to the other films of Payne.

I had no idea what to expect when I started watching this movie. I loved the beginning - I assumed it was a silly movie that's best as background noise, but I started getting wrapped up in their stories. As the movie progressed, unfortunately, it becomes too serious and it peaked too early for me. The performances were good and it's a unique movie for a high school setting, but in the end I was a little disappointed.

It is such a delight to see Reese Witherspoon play such a unlikable and uptight girl. She is not inherently evil or bad; she is just a passionate and dedicated young woman with her female-empowering mother supporting her. Yes, she can get annoying, and yes, she has made mistakes, but she is not bad. On the part of Matthew Broderick’s character, it is understandably why he hates her. The problem is the decisions he makes both in his school life and private life. At times, I wonder why he just does not stop. Let someone take his role in the school government for the year. It make sense why he would not want to be near the girl who ruined his best friend’s life.