Unsung Heroes - The Students of "Election"

This is Michael C. from Serious Film  back again to shine a light on a cinematic achievement that has been hidden for too long in the shadows. This week it is a film I've been an evangelist for since it's release over a decade ago: Alexander Payne's Election (1999). Pick Flick!

Is there any setting more misrepresented in movies than high school? Courtrooms, maybe, or hospitals with their staffs four times bigger than anywhere you could actually find. But at least these places use reality as a jumping off point. The majority of movie high schools, with their student bodies straight from central casting and their campuses the size of Ivy League universities, appear to have been fabricated completely to fit the needs of Hollywood producers.

When a movie like Alexander Payne's Election (1999) finally comes along, which rings true in detail after detail, one wonders what they did differently. The success of Payne's film is undoubtedly in large part due to his decision to shoot in a real high school while classes were in session, and to use the actual students of Papillion La Vista High School generously throughout the film. It may seem like a minor decision, but it adds a crucial air of credibility to the movie.

For one thing, they look real high students. It may seem like an obvious point, but it actually makes Election quite a rare specimen. Most movie students look like they're pushing thirty, and dress as if they are on their way to a commercial shoot for Axe body spray. Acting ability aside, the mere act of going through wardrobe and make-up adds a layer of polish that audiences register. In Election, even the more dramatic moments of the story -- Tammy's speech, Mr. McAllister's sabotage --feel less like scripted plot points because the unaffected presence of real students subliminally signals to the viewer that nothing phony is happening.

That realism must also have rubbed off on Broderick and Witherspoon who both deliver performances that stand as career high points. According to the DVD commentary, Payne frequently sent in real students to improvise with his stars. Knowing that their performances were going to be so readily judged against the genuine article must have worked as a safeguard against putting in too many actorly touches. It is especially impressive that Election manages the feat of meshing Witherspoon believably into the mass of ordinary teens, considering she is as glamorous a star as we've got, and Tracy Flick as a role is full of invitations to go over-the-top.

On top of all these benefits, some of the kids are just plain good. Lots of moments that stand out in my memory from Election are the little bits of documentary realism from the students. The kids who ramble through their explanations of morals vs. ethics set the stage perfectly for Tracy and her "Ooh, ooh, call on me!" routine. I also love the boy who delivers that strange cackling heckle when Tammy takes the microphone and the girl who lets loose with a few dance moves when the crowd is chanting Tammy's name. And the kid who ad-libs reasons to Broderick why he needs to retake a test has a naturalism that a lot of pros could learn from.

It's telling that for all its arch filmmaking touches, Election feels more authentic than just about any other high school movies one could name.
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Modern Maestros: Alexander Payne

Robert here, continuing my series on great contemporary directors. This week I'm calling it the "What the hell ever happened to me?" edition. Alexander Payne's next film is slated for release in (probably late) 2011. Although there are many great directors as I have yet to get to, I don't necessarily anticipate this series lasting that long. So whenever we feature Payne it'll have to be as someone who's in the middle of a feature film drought.

Maestro: Alexander Payne
Known For: slice of life comedies about outsiders.
Influences: When scouring all things Alexander Payne for this piece, I found that he very seldom mentions comedy directors among his favorites. He usually talks about Antonioni or Middle Eastern or Chinese cinema as those which influenced him.
Masterpieces: Sideways comes close. Hell, they all come close.
Disasters: Nada
Better than you remember: Nada again. All of his films have been pretty fairly received.
Awards: A lot of writing awards for Sideways including an Oscar, BAFTA and Globe. A smattering of lesser writing and/or directing awards for his other films.
Box Office: over 71 million for Sideways.
Favorite Actor: Payne in fact, uses a lot of different actors. But you've seen M.C. Gainey in two of his films (you'll remember seeing a lot of him in Sideways).

Why do we laugh at sad sacks? We've been doing it since the days of silent film (and a long time before that off celluloid). We laugh at them because we all see ourselves as sad sacks sometimes (or all the time). But we probably can't laugh at ourselves. So instead we laugh at them. Yet it's not schadenfreude. It's not pity. I think the humor comes from a great deal of understanding. Alexander Payne pines above for a time when films more closely reflect real life. He knows that comedy requires truth; just enough truth for us to relate, and just enough exaggeration for us to enjoy. For example, many of us know what it's like to have a friend like Thomas Hayden Church's Jack from Sideways, a persistent yet aloof womanizer whose charms sustain both his numerous liaisons and our friendship. And chances are our friend has never had to run naked through an emu farm. But it would be funny if they did. Similarly we all remember the characters from Election from high school. Not exact clones, but similar enough to be honestly funny. So does Payne cast the viewer in the sad sack role, or do we cast ourselves? He and writing partner Jim Taylor are extremely skilled in creating characters who are easy to relate to. Even if they drink and drive, or steal money from their mother, or piss on the floor or rig an election. We find it very hard to judge them (The few reviewers who did find it easy to judge them were not at all impressed with the film... so perhaps that's the key). Take the main character of Payne's short contribution to Paris je t'aime. Margo Martindale narrates her own clearly solo trip to Paris in terrible French with a grating American accent... typical annoying American tourist right? Nope. Likable, almost heartwarming.

Of course, let's not discount the contributions of the actors. Alexander Payne is a great director of actors (that keeps coming up, almost as if it's the mark of a great director). He's directed five actors to Oscar Nominations and more who've deserved it. I'm reminded of Jack Nicholson discussing how he studied lovable sad sacks Keaton and Chaplin in preparing for About Schmidt. Payne also owes much to writing partner Jim Taylor who helps him create intelligent comedies that play off their interest in existentialism (hence the Antonioni influence). Most Payne films don't wrap up neatly. Most end with an ellipses. Yet there is a distinct feeling that for our lovable sad sacks, things may be okay, that is, until the next inevitable catastrophe.

Payne should come roaring back next year with his next film The Decendants. But that doesn't mean he's been sitting idle. He directed that aforementioned installment for Paris je t'aime (in which he also had a brief acting part as Oscar Wilde). He brought us the TV Series Hung and wrote, or co-wrote, or partially wrote, or was at least responsible for any of the good parts (if there were) of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Jurassic Park III (seriously). Still, seven years is a long time to be sitting around like some sad sack, waiting for another brilliant feature film.  If you're like me, you'll be very excited to see what kind of honest miserable characters we'll be greeted by in 2011.

Linking Center

This is cute but will surely offend the psychotically patriotic from any given country. Literal translations of flags from Pop Hangover.

Ah Grease, the great unifier. Everyone has seen it. I'm so glad there hasn't been a Grease 3 or a Grease Reborn... yet. I know they've threatened us with remakes in the past. Why bother? Shan't ever top Olivia + Travolta + Channing's "Rizzo". Sigh

Here's a possibly worthwhile event at Lincoln Center in July should you be in NYC. It's a movie discussion with multiple Oscar nominee Sidney Lumet (Network, The Verdict, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) and his daughter screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married).

More Linkage
In Contention Alexander Payne to guest direct Telluride
Variety strike most of what I said in that last 'Sean Penn is so busy' post. He's pulling out of projects now, citing personal reasons... one suspects it's the continually off-again/on-again situation with the Mrs.
Getty Images Trend alert: snake charming on the red carpet
Topless Robot "The Greatest Megan Fox Pic of Our Times" pretty funny paparazzi shot. Tangent: I've never noticed that stupid Marilyn Monroe tat' that Megan sports on her right arm. Yeah, I guess I haven't been staring that closely. It's hard to miss.
Hobo Trashcan Aaron Davis on the polarization of Tarantino perceptions

♫ I'm in the mood for love

Underwire Do we have any Pittsburgh readers in the house? If so, this new permanent exhibit roboworld looks worthwhile. Go. Return and report. P.S. 'tis only a shame that there's not a working replica of Gigolo Joe for purchase.
Hot Blog attacks Anne Thompson's summer box office lessons. I can't say I "enjoy" David Poland's habitual attacks on other film journos but he definitely makes good points in this article
Everything I know... you've got less than two weeks to see August: Osage County on Broadway if you haven't already. More on this play that's becoming a movie next month before the national tour begins.

Tuesday Top Ten: Alexander(s) The Great

Tuesday Top Ten! ~a new weekly feature. For the listmaker in me and the list lover in you

Ten Alexanders You Should Love
10. Alexandre Despatie well he's not in the movies but he does win gold. Plus he looks like this...

so you know...

09. Jane Alexander. A solid four-time Oscar nominated actor. Last seen as Nicole Kidman's icy mother-in-law in Fur. When is she going to have a comeback?

08. Aleksandr Sokurov Because the Russian Ark is a neato cinematic trick. I regret to inform that I have not seen anything else he's done. Anyone care to make a 'first things first' viewing suggestion from his catalogue?

07. Lloyd Alexander His fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain is great fun and quite wonderfully cinematic. Disney gave it a bad rep with their awful adaptation (The Black Cauldron) back in the 80s but given that lengthy fantasy adaptations are all the rage ... Hollywood execs: get on this one!

06. Alexandre Dumas He wrote The Three Musketeers and who doesn't love swashbuckling? Oh and Queen Margot. Merci --I love the 1994 movie version.

05. Alexander Graham Bell. I hate talking on the telephone. But I like having one. Thanks.

04. Alexandre Desplat. The best new film composer in the world. Two years ago he won a devoted small army of fans for scoring the haunting Nicole Kidman flick Birth. Yesterday he won his first Golden Globe for The Painted Veil. It's a truly lovely film score.

03. Alexander Payne He hasn't made a bad movie yet. Famous last words, I know, but Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt and Sideways? That's a grade A filmography.

02. Alexander the Great (2008never) by Baz Luhrmann. This movie does not really exist but I love it anyway. Because I love Bazmark movies as a general rule... principle. calling (?)


01. "Xander" Harris Willow's best friend. Buffy's ever faithful righthand man. Anya's true love. Cordelia's boytoy. Because he was always something for everyone and never anything for himself. But mostly because he was hilariously clueless (Season 1), looked great in a speedo (Season 2), lost his cherry to Faith (season 3), fell hard for Anya (Season 4 & 5), saved the world (Season 6) and lost his eye in (Season 7). I love you Xander!


Previous Tuesday Top Tens (New Series):
Best 2006 Movies from The Departed (sure) to Marie Antoinette (you heard me)
Movies by The Three Amigos Best of Cuarón, González Iñárritu and Del Toro