I first heard about this one close to a year ago when the AV Club called it one of the thirty best movies of the 1990s. A lofty claim, for sure, and one the movie didn't quite live up to. There's really not a whole lot to this one. Reese Witherspoon plays an overly ambitious and manipulative high school overachiever. Matthew Broderick is a sad sack teacher opposed to her uncontested bid for student president. And Chris Klein is a lovable but utterly naive idiot who gets talked into running against Witherspoon's character. The movie has been called a "razor sharp" political satire, and I just can't give it that much praise. Clever, yes. Brilliant, no. Maybe 1999 had different standards? At any rate, this movie's worth watching if you find it on basic cable or something, but I really can't pretend it was a hidden gem of any sort.
I've got to agree with you on this one. I mean, the film was alright, but critics out there absolutely love this guy (a 92% on RottenTomatoes). Frankly, I've just never saw eye-to-eye with Alexander Payne's flicks. Election, About Schmidt, Sideways (well Sideways I kind of liked)... but in general my enjoyment never meets the expectations raised by all the fanfare from critics. If left on their own, however, they're respectable.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen The Descendants yet. Although it got plenty of attention during last year's Oscar season, I just couldn't find it in myself to check it out. Clooney in Hawaii with a dying wife and some screwed up kids - meh. I'm sure I will see it one day when the planets align.
Oh, but I will check out his next film, Nebraska, if for no other reason than the cast (as in all of his movies) is great. Will Forte and Bill Odenkirk headlining. Count me in.