Search - Taxiride, Donovan, Hurricane #1 :: Election: Music From The Motion Picture

Like its late-'90s spiritual soulmate Rushmore, director Alexander Payne's Election is a sharp, mature comedy of morals and character in high-school drag, pitting obsessive overachiever and student-body candidate Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) against a multifrustrated teacher's (Matthew Broderick) best efforts to stop her. And like Rushmore, its smart, eclectic soundtrack eschews the tyranny of Top Fortydom for an eclectic mix of modern pop and a few suitably ironic chart chestnuts (Donovan's hippy-dippy "Jennifer Juniper"; the Commodores' "Three Times a Lady") that gratifyingly becomes an integral part of the film's ethos rather than a tacked-on marketing clause. Late-'90s pop of the jangly school (Taxiride's raga-rock inflected "Get Set," Hurricane #1's "Rising Sign") mixes with subtle, country nods (Mandy Barnett's "If You'll Be the Teacher," "Drown in Small Cowgirl Boots" by Jolene) and retro touches (The Damnations TX's "Born to Be with You," Patience & Prudence's chirpy faux-'50s "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now") to create a witty and effective musical backdrop to the backstabbing political metaphors. Rolfe Kent's equally piquant orchestral score, dominated by Randy Newman-esque string and woodwind arrangements that are by turns playful and longing, is represented by a concise suite of cues. --Jerry McCulley