History Film / Election

* NominatedAsAPrank: [=McAllister=] goads DumbJock Paul Metzler into running for Student Body President just to fuck with Tracy Flick, who is running unopposed, as Jim hates Tracy and blames her for a teacher-student affair that ruined his best friend's career. Shortly after, Paul's
sister Tammy decides to run for Student Body President - on a platform of abolishing the position - just to fuck with Paul, who she blames for supposedly turning her ex-girlfriend straight.

* NominatedAsAPrank: [=McAllister=] goads DumbJock Paul Metzler into running for Student Body President just to fuck with Tracy Flick, who is running unopposed, as Jim hates Tracy and blames her for a teacher-student affair that ruined his best friend's career. Shortly after, Paul's brother Tammy decides to run for Student Body President - on a platform of abolishing the position - just to fuck with Paul, who she blames for supposedly turning her ex-girlfriend straight.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Tracy, in her portion of the film's narration, rants and raves against the rich kids of the school and how working hard and playing by the rules gives her moral superiority, all before [[SanitySlippage going batshit crazy]] and engaging in [[spoiler:blatant vandalism by destroying Paul's posters]], an act she only gets away with because someone else [[spoiler:(Tammy) would rather take credit for the crime]]. Not to mention her vow to sue [=McAllister=] or anyone else who dares even ''hint'' towards the dark secret of [[TeacherStudentRomance her affair with a teacher]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: [=McAllister=] rebuilds his life and finds a new love, but must deal with the fact that Tracy has not only gone on to great things as a Senator's aide, but is still up to her old tricks of seducing older men.]] Though [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation depending on how you interpret the characters]] it may actually range from Happy to Downer.

* StepfordSmiler: Tracy, especially in Mr. [=McAllister=]'s view, the way she can go from sweet to [[CuteAndPsycho borderline psychotic]]. In several scenes, she [[IncrediblyLamePun flicks on her smile like a light.]]

* SweaterGirl: It must be said that Reese Witherspoon looks ''really'' good in tight sweaters...

* StepfordSmiler: Tracy, especially in Mr. [=McAllister=]'s view, the way she can go from sweet to [[CuteAndPsycho borderline psychotic]]. In several scenes, she flicks on her smile like a light.

* AlternateEnding: The original ending has [[spoiler: Jim working at a car dealership in town having generally recovered from his pariahdom. Tracy shows up to pick up a new car the day before she goes off to college, confronts [=McAllister=] and asks him why he did it. After Mr. [=McAllister=] apologizes, Tracy confesses to being scared about going off to college, but [=McAllister=] reassures her that she'll be okay and signs her yearbook]]. This is taken from the book's ending.

* AcademicAlphaBitch: Tracy is perhaps the ultimate example

* VillainProtagonist: Mr. McAllister. Lying, election fraud, adultery, Machiavellian use of [[GoodIsDumb Paul]]... all whilst enacting his plan to bring down the target of his spite. Not really a boy scout.

* BriarPatching: Tammy's parents try to discipline her by sending her to Catholic school (implied to be all-girl), although that's [[CatholicSchoolGirlsRule exactly where she wants to go]].

* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: Deconstructed. The student council is ultimately revealed at the end of the film as being highly dysfunctional, [[spoiler:to the point that Tracy can't get ''anything'' accomplished during her tenure as President]]. Furthermore, the film pretty much establishes that the whole thing is one glorified popularity contest: hence why Mr. [=McAllister=] selects Paul to run against Tracy since, as one of the most popular kids at school, more kids in theory will vote for him over Tracy. Furthermore, Tammy's entire campaign platform is based upon the idea of dissolving the student council as she openly acknowledges that it is a huge fraud and a waste of time for everyone at school.

* AllElectionsAreSeriousBusiness
* TheAllegedCar: Although it is in reasonable condition and runs well enough, Mr. [=McAllister=] drives a pretty crappy early 90s Ford Festiva compact car (a rebadged Korean-built Kia Pride), a minute car by American standards. Presumably this was chosen deliberately, in the DVD commentary Alexander Payne says "Ford Festiva, the car of an impotent man."
* AlmightyJanitor: Mr. [=McAllister=] makes the ''very'' big mistake of unknowingly pissing off the school janitor by dropping a [[ChekhovsGun box of chow mein]] on the floor in an absent-minded attempt at cleaning up the staff room. It bites him in the ass when [[spoiler: the janitor finds the thrown-out ballots in the trash bin and reveals to the principal that he had rigged the election]].

* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize

The film was a critical darling, but had a mediocre take at the box office, due to the studio [[NeverTrustATrailer screwing up its marketing]] and portraying it as a straight-up teen comedy as opposed to a drama with BlackComedy overtones -- presumably an effort to cash in on the success of ''Film/AmericanPie'' (the fact that Chris Klein is in both films adds a bit of credence to that theory), which came out earlier that year. Based on its critical success, though, it managed an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.[[note]]Payne and writing partner Jim Taylor would later win in 2004 for ''Film/{{Sideways}}'', and again in 2011 for ''Film/TheDescendants''.[[/note]] Likewise, Reese Witherspoon received glowing reviews for her performance, and it is often cited as one of the future UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winner's best roles. The film also resurrected MatthewBroderick's career after several years of obscurity.

** Paul takes his defeat in stride, caring even less than Tammy and still being the most popular kid in chool.

** Tracy is able to to get into Georgetown, and later becomes a senator's aide that she is implied to be having an affair with. However, she has to endure the scorn of everyone around her for her holier-than-thou attitude. Not to mention McAllister really having it in for her.

* ManipulativeBastard: McAllister to Paul primarily, but he's doing it to work Tracy over as well.

** Tracy wins the election and becomes student council president, only to find that the job is practically meaningless and it doesn´t make her any more popular with the students. When she goes on to college she´s still a solitary student, ignored by her peers, and she realizes that she´ll always be alone even though there is the implication that her overachieving ways may eventually take Tracy to high places.

* FriendsRentControl: Inverted, when Jim moves to New York City he has to pay $1550 a month (plus utilities) for a tiny little cramped basement apartment with the bed, bath and kitchen units stuffed into one little room.

* ManipulativeBastard: McAllister to Paul.

* VillainProtagonist: Mr. McCallister. Lying, election fraud, adultery, Machiavellian use of [[GoodIsDumb Paul]]... all whilst enacting his plan to bring down the target of his spite. Not really a boy scout.

* VillainProtagonist: Mr. McCallister. Lying, election fraud, adultery, Machiavellian use of [GoodIsDumb Paul]... all whilst enacting his plan to bring down the target of his spite. Not much of a boy scout.

* VillainProtagonist: Mr. McCallister. Lying, election fraud, adultery, Machiavellian use of [GoodIsDumb Paul)... all whilst enacting his plan to bring down the target of his spite. Not much of a boy scout.

** Tracy in a more specific example. After tearing down Paul's posters, she's heading for an expelling. That particular bullet misses her completely.

** Tracy in a more specific example. After tearing down Paul's posters, she's heading for an expelling. That particular bullet with her name on it misses her completely.

m [[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tracy_Flick_for_President_1134.jpg]]

* SpoiledSweet: Rich kid Paul gets a brand new pickup truck for his 16th birthday, goes on skiing breaks and can afford to often throw parties for his friends. But he is an extremely nice guy and is grateful for what he has. But the less well-off Tracy still hates him and has a big rant about privileged people like him waltzing in and taking what people like her have to spend their entire lives working for VERY, VERY HARD.