Rated: R
Reese Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick, an overachieving, highly ambitious high school senior who will stop at nothing to become president of the student council. Matthew Broderick is Jim McAllister, the civics teacher, who will do everything he can to stop her because he sees what a phony she is and believes she needs to be taught a lesson.
The basic story is fine and you’d think it were a tale for teens, right? Wrong. This R-rated film takes that basic premise and intermingles it with adult themes of adultery and McAllister’s impotence as well as a good measure of unnecessary teen sex and filthy language. Let’s not forget the lesbianism.
Witherspoon does a spectacular job as the snooty Flick and Broderick serves well. But this film is neither sensitive nor particularly witty – something it could have been with a lot more effort.
Lotta says rent this one as a last resort.