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synopsis

• Alexander Payne – “A nice thing to watch in Reese is how she listens. When she acts, she’s really good because she’s reacting throughout the film, you see her thinking and it’s always interesting to see a character thinking.”

- Director Alexander Payne wanted to associate Tracy Flick with straight lines, and Mr McAllister with circles. He admitted that he didn’t think he did that very well throughout the film.
- The film was shot at a real school, and real classes were being held in adjacent classrooms to the ones seen in the film. Also, every high school student extra seen in the film is a real student from a school in Omaha.
- Alexander Payne says Tracy Flick is more sexual in the novel than in his film – he didn’t think that would be interesting for the film, and preferred to “emphasise her youth and being a little kid still.” This was especially important to him in Tracy’s scenes with Dave Novotny.
- One of the scenes cut from the final version of the movie was of Tracy and Dave in bed together, and Tracy not really enjoying herself much.
- A sub-plot and character that was cut from the final version was that of a character named David who was Tracy’s little helper and who was in love with her. He is seen early on in the film putting up banners for Tracy just before she spots Paul running for president.
- Apples were used throughout the movie as a sign of temptation.
- Reese actually did the ‘stunt’ of falling off the bin when fixing the falling sign, and she did it in one take. Neith she nor Alexander Payne wanted to rely on a stunt double. She did put some padding on, though!
- That same scene where tracy is ripping up all the signs was also done in a single take, as it was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and everyone wanted to get home!
- A scene depicting Tracy as Lady MacBeth, washing and washing her hands to get the blood off, was cut.
- Another deleted scene involved showing Tracy and her mother in the kitchen together making the Pick Flick cupcakes at 5:30am. Alexander Payne described this scene as showing how Tracy’s mother is really the one ‘propelling’ her, and how Tracy herself may be unwilling. In that same scene, Tracy also confessed to her mother that she fears she may not win the election, and Tracy’s mother responds with ‘Tracy Flick’s a winner!’.
- Alexander Payne says Reese is “so very good in this movie”.
- Scenes showing Tracy being interviewed on local TV about the election scandal were cut.
- Tracy got into Georgetown University like she wanted to – with scholarships!
- Alexander Payne likes the scene near the end of the movie where Tracy’s voiceover is saying that something still doesn’t feel right, as he thinks it shows a “tiny realisation [for Tracy] that she’s on the wrong path and that maybe she’s not going to have have much personal satisfaction or connection with others.” They didn’t want to make a big deal about that, but felt it was definitely a part of someone like that.
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