No Smoking does "Election"

[No Smoking]

1999
director: Alexander Payne
cast: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Delaney Driscoll, Phil Reeves, Mark Harelik, Frankie Ingrassia, Colleen Camp


THE SCOOP
tagline: Reading, Writing, Revenge

summary capsule:
High school civics' teacher, Mr. McAllister, tries to keep the yearly election for class president fair while his most ambitious student, Tracy Flick, tries to lie and cheat her way to victory.

cult: 2 / quotes: 3 / offensive: 3 / bizarre: 2 / rewatchable: 5



I've seen a lot of high school movies - from teacher-stalking psycho-girl thrillers to accidental-death comedies to aliens have landed and want to take over the town disaster flicks - about people who are bitter because of other people. Usually, it focuses on the students and right away, you know exactly who are the poor kids, the outcasts, the rich snobs, and the jocks. And every time, it's the exception to the rule that is the most memorable, fascinating, original, and worthwhile movie. Am I building up to a description of this movie or a film of John Hughesian design? Nothing against the big JH, but he never envisioned a world where a film like this was possible. He always thought small. Internal, emotional, and trendy. This film is none of those things. Apart from casting fairly recognizable actors (the biggest surprise for me was Molly Hagan who I've caught in the odd, obscure horror film), this film is completely classic in all its' themes. Yet, it also knocks over a few tired movie conventions. While boys have always thought hot tubs, Mexico, and blowjobs were cool, girls want to see someone who stands up for herself and won't take anyone else's garbage. Of course, now that we've established a theory... it's time to debunk it.

She's not our most independent female figure in the film, but Tracy Flick is by far the strongest. She can thank her unrelenting conniving...ness for that (as well as her pushy, "I'll live through you, I'll make you what I never was, if you're the best then maybe so am I" mother). And she isn't just an overachiever, she is the teenage embodiment of the "do anything, no matter what the cost, to come out on top" political wrecking ball. Her nemesis is the dopey Current Events / Civics teacher, Mr. McAllister, who reminds me of a couple of teachers I had growing up. The guys who had to be everybody's friend and would either steamroll you with their sensitivity while smiling and cracking jokes so you wouldn't scream something like "GET OFF OF ME!", or do the exact opposite: use you as the class fool, an example to everyone else of what in his definition wasn't a team player. I resented them both because it's only natural to distrust that which seems purely good-hearted to most. Experience has taught me not every kid can spot a phony. Both Tracy and the teacher distrust each other, though for different reasons. Her because he was best friends with another teacher whom she was having an affair with and had fired after she told the Principal he was coming onto her. Any rational person knows it takes two to tango and would be suspicious of a girl like that. Yet he has another reason: she's completely inhuman.

Which brings us back to bitterness. At the start of the film, she tries to convince us - the judgmental audience - that not only is McAllister jealous of her for having a more promising future, but that the teacher she had an affair with really wasn't a predatory scumbag. However, we can clearly see she's jealous of the school's hulking richboy football starjock Paul Metzler when he enters the race for Student Body President after Mr. McAllister talks him into it. She was the only one running for President and there's a reason for that: no one cares about it but her. Enter running mate #3- his adopted sister, Tammy. You see, there's a backstory between them and it involves a deeply personal betrayal that he's not aware of. The point I mean to make is that Tracy and McAllister are actually co-evil spiders weaving a tangled web and the Metzlers are incidental victims of their trap which grows to be far more complicated than, say, any school election would be under normal circumstances. To be fair, she started it and her mother pushed her into it. Meanwhile, it could also be said there are other evil towers in the film depending upon how you read the tyrannical Principal, Dr. Walt Hendricks, and McAllister's neighbor, Linda Novotny- wife of the teacher Tracy had fired for their affair.

And, of course, there are other minor nippers in the film's raging sea of back-stabbing and spite. Such as Paul's girlfriend, Lisa, also Tammy's ex-best friend, who runs a mean and fierce campaign to get Paul the popularity vote. Or Tracy's hopelessly devoted slave, Eric, who just happens to be one of the final vote counters. Tracy at one point says, "there are a lot of subversive elements at Carver." And she's right... but that doesn't mean any of them give a rat's behind about the election. Really- no one does, the election comes to represent anything but the school's president of the student body job. As highlighted by Tammy's speech-of-a-generation which she delivers to a gratefully shocked assembly at the school's promotional rally: "Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it's gonna change anything around here? Make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected; the same pathetic charade happens every year and everyone makes the same pathetic promises just so they can put it on their transcripts to get into college. So vote for me because I don't even want to go to college. And I don't care. And, as President, I won't do anything."

Freakishly, only one person makes it his great mission to ensure that everything runs correctly and that only the person with the most votes wins regardless of popularity, political know-how, or dirty tricks. He's not the only moral person involved in the process nor is he the only one who speaks the truth, but he's the only activist crusader. Making him a quite bizarre fit in the grand scheme. Well, that's enough from the story. It's no surprise that a film about bitter or ambitious characters in a high school setting in the 90's is going to be overcomplicated. But this film makes you relish that. It's a deliciously dark and twisted comedy that at times shines a light of intelligence and truth through the narrating characters' constant b.s. And moreover, even though all the characters use each other like robotic insects, they all have their human moments. Which isn't necessarily important but since everyone's always trying to justify their actions, it's a surprise that sometimes they have good cause. Election could have been a life-affirming, heart-warming story about a group of people whose lives are bettered by this experience. But, honestly... did you think most of your peers in high school or the teachers they sucked up to deserved a podium to make excuses for their sliminess from?



THE EXTRAS

groovy quotes

Tammy: Who cares?! Don't vote at all!!

Dr. Walt Hendricks: I want her out of this election. I mean, getting everybody all riled up like that. She is washed up, you understand me? She's finished.
Jim McAllister: Well, we can't throw her out of the election just because we don't like her speech. That's not what student government is about.
Dr. Walt Hendricks: Yeah, yeah, whatever.

Tammy: Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it's gonna change anything around here, make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected. The same pathetic charade happens every year, and everyone makes the same pathetic promises just so they could put it on their transcripts to get into college. So vote for me because I don't even wanna go to college, and I don't care. And as president, I won't do anything. The only promise I will make is that, if elected, I will immediately dismantle the student government so that none of us will ever have to sit through one of these stupid assemblies again!

Jim McAllister: I'll never know if she saw me. Probably not. But in that moment, all the bad memories, all the things I'd ever wanted to say to her, it all came flooding back. My first impulse was to run over there, pound on her window, and demand that she admit she tore down those posters and lied and cheated her way into winning that election. But, instead, I just stood there. And I suddenly realized I wasn't angry at her anymore. I just felt sorry for her. I mean, when I think about my new life and all the exciting things I'm doing, and then I think about what her life must be like- probably still getting up at 4 in the morning to pursue her pathetic little dreams-- it just makes me sad. I mean where is she really trying to get to anyway? What is she doing in that limo? Who the f**k does she think she is?!

Porn Cheerleader: Hey, P.J .
Porn Quarterback: What are you doing here in the boys' locker room?
Porn Cheerleader: I've come to see the star quarterback before the big game.
Porn Quarterback: But what if Coach Henderson walks in?
Porn Cheerleader: Oh, that's okay. I took care of him.

Paul: I sure was surprised the day Lisa Flanagan asked me for a ride home and ended up blowing me.

Tammy: It's not like I'm a lesbian or anything. I'm attracted to the person. It's just that all the people I've ever been attracted to happen to be girls.

Jim McAllister: The election was behind me, and the worst was over. After all, what harm had really been done? Nobody was dead.

Paul: Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if l had actually won the election. Maybe my whole life would be different. Like I might never have gone to Yosemite with Greg and Travis. Or maybe I'd be dead.

Tammy: Catholic school was great. I mean, the teachers kind of sucked, and they were supposedly way more strict. But you could get away with murder.



Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits? :
Sure, the music's pretty good.

I ran all out of ice cream sandwiches with
"Chew Tracy" on the wrapper


I'm gonna use the "L" word now, buddy:
"Lawsuit..."


She's evil! She's brilliant!!