Corruption? Scandal? A rigged election? In episode #15 we discuss director Alexander Payne's high school political dramedy, Election (starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon).

Election - Criterion

Alexander Payne - Director

   Citizen Ruth (1996)

   Starring Laura Dern

   About Schmidt (2002)

   Sideways (2004)

   Paris, je t’aime (2006)

   The Descendants (2011)

   Nebraska (2013)

Matthew Broderick (as Jim McAllister)

   Also starred in Godzilla (1998) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Reese Witherspoon (as Tracy Flick)

Chris Klein (as Paul Metzler)

Jessica Campbell (as Tammy Metzler)

Mark Harelik (as Dave Novotny)

Phil Reeves (as Principal Walt Hendricks)

Delaney Driscoll (as Linda Novotny) - also played Ruth’s sister in Citizen Ruth

Holmes Osborne (as Dick Metzler) - also played Donnie’s Dad in Donnie Darko

Movie Trivia

   Thora Birch, who starred in Ghost World (2001) was originally cast to play Tammy

   Election was filmed in Papillion LaVista High School in Papillion, Nebraska

Josie and The Pussycats (2001) was also a Universal Pictures/MTV Films production

Unlike “Stadium High School” in 10 Things I Hate About You, the high school in Election seems pretty realistic

Tom Perrotta (who originally wrote Election) also wrote the novel The Leftovers which was later turned into an HBO series starring:

   Justin Theroux

   Liv Tyler

   Janel Moloney

   Scott Glenn (not to be confused with David Carradine)

   And written by Damon Lindelof

Election - Alternate Ending

Three Times A Lady - The Commodores

Navajo Joe - Ennio Morricone (from the 1966 movie Navajo Joe starring Burt Reynolds)

Mystery Men (starring Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo)

   Wes Studi as Sphinx

Paul falls asleep reading The Celestine Prophecy (by James Redfield)