25 years later: 'Election' hits differently now

Jim McAllister was a much bigger monster than the movie knew

What a strange place Election holds in the 1990s film firmanent. Released in the spring of 1999 — 25 years ago next week — it was a rare teen movie from that period that was not based on Shakespeare or other classic literature. 

The second film from director Alexander Payne, adapted by Payne and his usual collaborator Jim Taylor from Tom Perotta’s novel, Election focused itself on a high school student government election contested by overachiever Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), and how the election formed the undoing of a social studies teacher (Matthew Broderick, switching sides in the eternal teacher/student war just 13 years after the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.) 

The plot is that Tracy has long wanted to run for student body president and, in doing so, is opposed by Paul Metzler (Chris Klein), a dim-bulb jock looking for something to do after an injury ended his high school sports career. They’re soon joined by Paul’s gay sister Tammy (Jessica Campbell), seeking revenge against her brother after he stole her girlfriend.