She's the subject of Alexander Payne's ELECTION, a wicked satire about an election for student government president. ELECTION is the satire, a hilarious, razor-sharp indictment of the American Dream. More accurately, Alexander Payne's movie is about the way that dream plays in the head of one Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), an over exuberant sprite who is running for Student Council president at Carver High School with almost satanic single-mindedness, a post Tracy wants to win to go along with her collection of every other prize in school. What sets this film aside from all the other high school movies is that it doesn't limit itself to the world view of teenagers, but sees Tracy mostly through the eyes of a teacher who has had more than enough of her. Tracy is embodied by the best actress of her generation, Reese Witherspoon. She hits her full stride, with clinched double jaw action in this film as an aggressive, self-possessed little vixen who informs a teacher she hopes they can work together "harmoniously" in the coming school year. This role is really her stand-out- definitive signature piece, even though my dog Drew and I loved her in LEGALLY BLONDE.
Flick brings High School back like no other mid twenties actress playing a High Schooler. Upwardly mobile from inception. You can imagine little sperm Tracy Flick swimming faster than the other semen. Knocking out her opponents. I was a tad peeved to see Premiere picked her as number forty-five top performances ever- Happy for Reese but I wanted to be the one to point one how fabulous this performance was!!! Not premiere. Who are they anyway?!?!! Pgffght.
We meet Tracy Flick before we meet her – Like a machine gun – with the legs of her folding table – Genius direction by Alexander Payne.
Then her hands separating the individual sticks of gum in the shiny fish bowl – Beyond brilliant! So character revealing and perfect – Reese understands this character down to the bone. Not a hair strand is out of curled rolled up the night before hair place. And whoever they got to be her mother was some brilliant casting.
Her speech pattern delivery is like a rapid firing gun, her posture is straight up and through the roof- always trying to sit higher and higher – aiming for a better life than her mother’s, desperate sunny disposition but underneath is a pain that echoes voices from failed women from her mother to grandmother and ghost from beyond. It’s a tormented almost brainwashed to perfection picture of adolescence and Reese embodies this by filling in every moment with details that illuminate the story and theme. Choices actors make rarely are this precise. She is operating from the different level of playing than most actresses her age. This a thoughtful and deep affected nuanced is a truthful – painfully truthful sublime rendering. That jaw sticks out – Reese must have grinded down a couple back teeth - It was well worth the TMJ. Her body darts off like a jack rabbit and she hops like one too and then we sense something very adult and shrewd beneath the pretty little knee-high skirts.
Those couple of shots that Alexander chose to freeze frame – you could have done with any moment of screen time with this particular young talent. It would have been just as funny, deeply felt, and “Harmonious” with the film. The director freezes her expressions at the most embarrassing possible moments -- all the better to show the twisted intentions behind Tracy's pretty facade. Well done Reese. Her and Gwyneth really are way out front in terms of uplifting the tabloid – Paris Hitlon’s that seem to have taken over Hollywood today.
Reese you are a class act indeed! Most Overlooked Nomination in Academy History and should have won in 1999.
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