I rewatched this movie with my friends to celebrate turning 25 and it has conclusively solidified as one of my favorites of all time. I've watched a few of Alexander Payne's movies and I really enjoy his sense of humor, but Election is probably his most effective (and funniest) satire. For those out of the loop, this movie follows high school senior Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) as she runs for class president against a puppet candidate propped up by her civics teacher (Matthew Broderick). Every single second of the 103 minute runtime is used effectively — the pacing is TIGHT, the editing is clever, and the story is truly engrossing. I own the Criterion disc, but it's also currently streaming on Kanopy if you want to check it out for yourself.

I am notoriously someone who cannot listen to music while thinking / writing / using my brain. I find most music, especially anything with lyrics, too distracting for my easily overstimulated primate brain. And yet, this soundtrack completely bypasses that rule. Technically this is a remix of the original Challengers score, but it mirrors the original pretty closely and essentially just condenses everything into an uninterrupted electronic album. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross wrote these songs to mimic the sensation of being wholeheartedly locked into a tennis match, but that same feeling can and will extend to anything you're doing when you listen to this album. Putting this on is one of the greatest life hacks I've ever unlocked in trying to get even the most boring of chores completed. How this score didn't receive an Oscar nomination is truly beyond me.