Sometimes the most heartwarming films can have a flawed concept which in the end doesn’t make the film as good as it could have been. Going back to high school or even school for that matter is not a new concept in storytelling. There’s plenty of great stories about revisiting the past, trying to fix past mistakes, and make yourself a better person. However, not all these films completely stick the landing. For me one of those films is Re-Election, a charming film with wonderful characters that doesn’t overshadow the cringe-worthy aspect of a middle-edged man going back to high school to try and win a student election. Dallas native, Adam Saunders who writes and directs this movie puts forth the idea that we can go back to high school in our 40s and try to reinvent ourselves. Sure, that would be nice, but unfortunately unlike other stories that have dealt with this topic, it becomes a too problematic especially knowing that somebody in their 40s trying to graduate high school wouldn’t actually go back to a high school and be in a classroom with teenagers. They would go to a night school or study for the GED. Now it’s easy to root for his character Jimmy Bauer, a lovable loser living in a shed who wants to right some past wrongs. Even though there’s more than enough jokes about this character being out of place in high school, I still can’t get over the failed concept of this movie and wonder if the story might have been better with the same character going back to college while trying to identify with kids half his age instead of teenagers. But while I criticize the concept of the movie, I did love the performances and there were plenty of moments that made me laugh especially with an old guy trying to learn TikTok.
The film really does have a wonderful cast. Adam Saunders magnifies on the screen as Jimmy Bauer, a guy that we really can root for so it’s easy to connect to that character. Patty Guggenheim plays his uptight sister and she plays it perfectly. Tony danza is always funny and a shout out to Bex-Taylor Claus, the student representative that’s helping Jimmy Bauer’s campaign and struggling to find his own identity in high school. The performances and the comedic moments in the movie make it worth watching even if the story is flawed. The film also serves as a nice love letter to Dallas with a lot of local references. I applaud how the movie was filmed and the wonderful cast, unfortunately it’s not enough to make this a great movie in my opinion. Some other movies that have dealt with this subject like Never Been Kissed, it’s easier to get behind a young journalist going undercover at a high school. Also not as creepy considering there’s no inappropriate behavior between a student and teacher. It explores those ideas and never gets carried away while we easily root and connect to the characters. Peggy Sue Got Married is another one that explores idea of going back to high school but it more like a fever dream. Then of course you can deal with time travel aspects like Back to the Future. But the reason I call this a failed concept is when a middle-aged man is going back to school and has to be relatable and I don’t see how it can be with a middle aged man in high school with teenagers/ If you want to talk about a great concept when it comes to going back to school, to me the best story is the movie with Rodney Dangerfield called Back to School. The story of a father who ends up going to the same college as his son and helping him while inspiring those around him. Not only is it filled with lots of laughs, it doesn’t feel as cringy. And honestly this is my biggest complaint for the movie, I would have found it more charming if the setting had been different. Going back to college with young folks is a lot more relatable. Or having to go to an alternative school that’s filled with students who are over 18 and other folks trying to get their high school diploma. It’s just too hard to imagine a middle-aged guy going back to high school, taking classes with teenagers, and running for student council.
However, if you can look past this flawed concept and just focus on the characters in their performances then you do get a very heartwarming and charming movie. The scene that really stood out to me is when the middle-aged character is using TikTok with all the filters to give an inspirational speech. The characters are wonderful and worth revisiting. I hope that we get to see more of these characters especially the way it ends in the end. I like how it ended with your main character finding purpose again, but maybe the film would have been better in a different kind of setting. I even think it would have been funnier and more inspirational if the middle-aged character pulled a “Mumford” where he’s a fake psychologist/school counsel and despite maybe getting caught in the end finds that he really has inspired students. There are many ways one can tell a story like this that’s not as flawed. But Adam Saunders is a talented filmmaker and, even though every writer and director goes have some hits and misses, his projects are definitely worth checking out and I can’t wait to see what he does next. He has written some great characters that shouldn’t be just one and done in a movie. I can certainly see a series on a streaming channel where we continue the adventures of these characters. Re-Election has some good moments, but this is a movie you should rent online or wait until its free on a streaming service before checking out. It may not be the best movie of the year, but it certainly isn’t the worst either. And if you do see it which I recommend, you’ll realize that we should see more from these characters in a future project. Perhaps that’s the best thing that Adam Saunders did with this movie, giving us great characters that we want to see again in a film or a series.
