For some reason, this film has always brought a laugh to the bottom of stomach. Some people may call it boring due to the fact its not some gross-out teen comedy, but this is really the antithesis of a great satire. One can't see the scaly nature of politics simply because its always drowned in newspeak and bad reporting. But to see it at this level of understanding, it proves to be quite entertaining. It also provides a precursor to our most recent (2000) election. We have the longtime politician, the incompetent who people like, and the iconoclast who wants to shake up government. And of course, there is the cheating regulator who gets the wrong person elected for his own slimy means. Who would have guessed life would imitate art. A great film for all to see. Matthew Broderick is at his best, Reese Witherspoon really sells her role, and I actually tolerated Chris Klein's role in this film.

This film puzzled me.

Perhaps this is because, if it is a satire on the US political system then I, as a Brit, am not familiar enough with what is being satirised for the satire to be effective.

The promotional material gives the impression that it is a comedy, and that's what I was expecting, and there were definitely signs here and there that parts were supposed to be amusing: yet I really didn't find it comedic at all.

To me, the film came over more as a drama. And yet, as a drama it was unsatisfying. The central drama - the school election - worked satisfactorily, and I guess the film delivered the message that political success comes from being unprincipled but appearing to be principled, and failure comes from being unprincipled but getting caught. The secondary subplot concerning Jim's friend's affair with Tracy / difficulty conceiving / would-be adultery seemed pretty irrelevant. What was the point of the wasp sting? I got that this was just another aspect of his life crumbling as completely as every other aspect, but the whole thing came across as muddled and unconnected. And the "ending" - completely inconsequential. Matthew Broderick's character should have been sympathetic, and his downfall should have had some emotional resonance. It didn't.

All the performances were excellent, but the film overall left me lukewarm.

Before I review the actual movie, I should point out that although this MTV production was aimed mostly towards teens, it is NOT a film I recommend you let your kids watch--due to a lot of adult content. While the story is about high school, it is NOT the best choice for kids--not just because of the language but because of all the overt sexual content (references to oral sex, clips from porno videos, lesbianism, unprotected teen sex, a guy praying to God to say thanks for his wonderful phallus, etc.). All good topics for parents to discuss with their kids (except the last one) but not topics I want in a comedy for teens! Considering that MTV has brought us THE REAL WORLD(?) and many other sexually obsessed shows in recent years, perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised, but I still am highly offended at the marketing--it should have been marketed towards adults.

Now for adult audiences, this is an excellent film--full of very dark humor and great characters. Considering that I am a high school teacher myself, I really enjoyed laughing at the broad characters--the incredibly perfect but seriously flawed over-achiever, the dumb but sweet jock, etc. About the only part that made me uncomfortable was the teacher who had sex with one of the students. This was played mostly for laughs and as a teacher I just didn't find it funny--other people's perspectives might be different.

The film made me laugh and had many great dark comedic moments. If you do let your teens watch it, watch it with them.