Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
Election
MEANRANK
74/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #1623
- IMDb #1719
- Rotten Tomatoes #1038
- Metacritic #452
- Letterboxd #1190
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #785
+7 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #1739
- Metacritic Critics #499
- Metacritic Audience #649
- Criticker #889
- Kinopoisk #3725
- AlloCiné #3730
- Trakt #2418
Every rating
Split
Lowest is AlloCiné on 58, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 92. Critics average 88, everyone else 71.
See the films the platforms disagree about most →A popular, ruthlessly ambitious high school student is running for student body president. Her civics teacher, disgusted by her hypocrisy and manipulation, decides to sabotage her campaign by convincing a naive, morally upright football player to run against her. The election escalates into a vicious and comedic cycle of blackmail, betrayal, and moral compromise for everyone involved.
Details
- Director
- Alexander Payne
- Writers
- Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
- Based on
- Election by Tom Perrotta
- Released
- 23 April 1999
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English, Spanish
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rated
- R
- Budget
- $25.0M
- Box office
- $14.9M
- Awards
- 8 wins, 5 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (36) →
Awards & nominations
See all 13 →4 major awards won · 8 wins from 13 nominations across 9 ceremonies
| Independent Spirit Awards 1999 | Best Direction | Alexander Payne | Winner |
| Independent Spirit Awards 1999 | Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Independent Spirit Awards 1999 | Best Feature | Election | Winner |
| Writers Guild of America Awards 1999 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1999 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Nominee |
| Golden Globe Awards 1999 | Best Actress - Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Reese Witherspoon | Nominee |
| Independent Spirit Awards 1999 | Best Female Lead | Reese Witherspoon | Nominee |
| Independent Spirit Awards 1999 | Best Debut Performance | Jessica Campbell | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
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Just released
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Trailer — Election
×Full cast — Election
×
13 awards — Election
×| Best Direction | Alexander Payne | Winner |
| Best Feature | Election | Winner |
| Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Best Debut Performance | Jessica Campbell | Nominee |
| Best Female Lead | Reese Witherspoon | Nominee |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Nominee |
| Best Actress - Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Reese Witherspoon | Nominee |
| Next Generation Award | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Excellence in filmmaking | Election | Winner |
| Best Actress | Reese Witherspoon | Winner |
| Best Screenplay | Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor | Winner |
| Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Reese Witherspoon | Nominee |