--- title: "Election: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/election/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/election" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Election (1999): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics greet Election as a sharp, darkly funny satire that uses a high-school contest to examine American ambition, political hypocrisy and resentment. Praise centres on the precise dialogue and the performances of Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, whose competing frustrations give the comedy much of its bite. The reviews also value the shifting viewpoints: voice-overs let several characters make their case, while the humour leaves space for sympathy and the pain of failure. The disagreement is less about individual weaknesses than whether the satire works at all, with enthusiasm dominating but one strongly negative response widening the spread. The Independent finds the characters cartoonish and one-dimensional, and the humour insufficient, despite acknowledging the literate script and cast performances. Where that review sees immaturity, most critics find a perceptive account of adult failings within school politics, with enough nuance to keep its targets human. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 30 April 1999. The critic praises the film as a wicked satire on high school elections and ambition that sees the story through a teacher's eyes while balancing sympathy for its characters. It stands out from other teen movies by offering a parable about elections and the types of people who run for office. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/election-1999) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises the film as an outstanding, brilliantly scripted high-school satire that incisively examines American mores with sharp characters and black humour, calling it excellent and funny yet painful. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/election-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Michael Rechtshaffen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 1999. The critic calls it a sharp, funny high school satire that is the best among recent teen films and a winning sophomore effort from Alexander Payne. He singles out Reese Witherspoon's deliciously driven performance as the overachiever Tracy Flick and praises Payne's deft integration of voice-overs, freeze frames, and musical cues. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/election-review-1999-movie-1198002/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 1999. The critic hails the film as a wonderful satirical comedy that uses the school election as a prism for an acute comic analysis of success and failure in American life. Payne and Taylor are singled out as perhaps the only true social satirists working in American movies at the time. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/04/26/school-spirit) ## Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 1999. The review describes the film as a sharp and merciless comedy and the best high school adventure since Heathers, with expert performances and a fierce teen satire that adults will cherish. It highlights the film's dark comic style, precise dialogue, and ability to make viewers complicit in its wicked schemes. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-23-ca-30201-story.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 7.2/10. The review positions it near the top of high-school movies as a dark, funny twist on the popularity contest theme, with inspired casting of Matthew Broderick against Reese Witherspoon's manipulative overachiever. It highlights the sly satire of contemporary American politics through the school microcosm and calls the result astute, offbeat and uproarious. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u2td9p/election/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 1999. The critic dismisses the film as the work of precocious but immature talents, calling it cartoonish, one-dimensional, and insufficiently amusing despite its literate script and cast performances. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-review-don-t-americans-ever-grow-up-1123245.html) ## Sight and Sound — Geoffrey Macnab 1 October 1999. The critic calls it a wonderfully acidulous satire on US politics and culture that uses a high-school election as microcosm for dirty tricks and ambition. Payne's film is praised for its witty, sour tone, even-handed screenplay with voiceovers from all sides, strong vein of pathos, and excellent performances, especially Reese Witherspoon as the overachieving Tracy. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/214) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 24 September 1999. The critic calls it a brilliant, witty black comedy that dissects sexual politics and male envy in a high-school election setting. It singles out the performances of Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon for their nuanced, compelling portrayals amid the film's fearless satire. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/sep/24/4) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 23 April 1999. The review calls the film an acerbic satire of the American electoral process with a sharp ear for hypocritical conversation and strong performances from Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. It skewers political ethics through the lens of a high school race. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/23/movies/film-review-the-candidate-dirty-tricks-and-even-dirtier-minds.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic calls the film a spot-on high school satire that moves smoothly from a teacher's routine to life-changing emotional chaos. Witherspoon's performance is singled out as breathtakingly funny, supported by a witty script and Payne's distinctive style. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=214) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/election.md