Alexander Payne’s 1999 film Election was poised to be a big budget hit: MTV and Paramount backing it, two charismatic stars, and a plot ripped straight from the pages of Tom Perotta’s high school novel of the same name. But instead Election came out an odd, dark, and bitingly funny film, one that was lauded by critics but failed at the box office. Matthew Broderick leads the cast as respected, mild-mannered teacher Jim McAllister who lives humbly with his wife in Omaha, Nebraska (where the film was also shot, giving it an authentically gloomy feel). Election follows Mr. M’s gradual self-destruction as he sets out to ruin the presidential campaign of perky but disingenuous “type A” student Tracy Flick, played to perfection by Reese Witherspoon. Some movies are driven by plot (for instance All the President’s Men), and others are driven by mood (The Virgin Suicides, for example). This movie is somehow both. Viewers are engrossed not only by the twisted and satirically funny plot, which skewers political corruption, but also the fine details that create a very specific world within the film—the painfully middle-class home décor, a dingy motel spruced up with a box of Russell Stover candy. The atmosphere of Election feels faded and entrenched in its surrender to mediocrity. Tracy’s ambition and Mr. M’s unabashed sabotage are jarring in contrast to the defeated attitude that permeates the movie. Payne uses a full range of flashbacks, creative visual motifs, freeze frames, and multiple voiceovers to give Election its zany and edgy tone. These devices add to the comprehensive, unique way the narrative is told, and when paired with Rolfe Kent’s eclectic score, Election is a near perfect film and a real hidden gem. The vivid storytelling will never fail to surprise you, and the specific embellishments keep the imagery of this movie in your mind. You will find yourself caring about these pathetic characters long after the credits roll, which is one of my very favorite things that only the best of films can do for you.