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.
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.