Filmmaker Adam Saunders Returns to High School in Political Comedy, Re-Election

Race, politics and all the things that divide most of us fuel filmmaker Adam Saunders’ work. The native North Texan pulls quadruple duty on his projects, serving as writer, director, producer and actor. This gives him unparalleled creative control over the films he makes, which means he has the freedom to explore thorny topics without alienating audiences.

“I’m the opposite of some politicians who want to pick issues that get people fired up,” he explains. “I want to find the connection points, not the division points. And I think there are so many connection points.”

Saunders’ latest effort, Re-Election, is in theaters now. The film follows Jimmy Bauer (Saunders), a guy who never quite figured his life out. He traces his problems back to an election he lost for class president in high school; that his then-opponent in the race is now the governor of Texas only convinces Jimmy that the election really was where everything went wrong. 

Now in his 40s, Jimmy takes an opportunity to re-enroll in high school with the intention of finally becoming class president. He befriends Noa Polly (Bex Taylor-Klaus), a nonbinary teen with a passion for public service who is navigating the challenges that accompany coming out. Noa acts as a guide for Jimmy in a changed world, as the latter is forced to decide whether winning at all costs is worth it.

The film was partially born of Saunders’ longstanding fascination with politics. Early in the movie, Jimmy can be seen playing with dolls of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. These are not just fun props; they actually belong to Saunders (who has had them since he was a kid). The filmmaker has always considered himself a “political junkie,” wanting to understand why certain people have been able to ascend the political mountain throughout history, in spite of their shortcomings.

“Lincoln was a very unwell-known guy who wore pants that didn’t really fit… He was not particularly popular, you know. He was kind of an awkward guy,” Saunders says. “Why did we pick him at that moment to become probably the most important political leader in American history?”

In addition to Saunders’ political interests, Re-Election takes inspiration from an array of earlier films. It straddles the line between Billy Madison and Election, more grounded than the former and lighter than the latter. Tonally, Saunders says he wanted to land closer to 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love, a Patrick Dempsey vehicle about a nerd who pays a cheerleader to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month.

“It’s not laugh-out-loud every second,” says Saunders of his film. “It’s more like you’re along for the ride and it has something to say.”

That tonal balance is perhaps Saunders’ greatest achievement in Re-Election. He distributes his weight as writer, producer, director and actor by fully committing to each in turn instead of halfheartedly committing to them all simultaneously. In front of the camera, he is only thinking about acting. Behind it, he is fully focused on directing his actors. Being present allows him to create an environment where the people he works with, including veteran performers like Tony Danza and Kym Whitley, can bring their own unique ideas to the set and rely on him to keep them from going too far afield.

While some directors build reputations on being averse to outside influences in order to maintain total control, Saunders stays far away from that mentality on set. Director Ed Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai) was a mentor to him early in his career and once told him that a director should never turn down a good idea, no matter who it comes from.

“If you’re the director, you’re gonna get the credit anyway,” laughs Saunders.

He grew up in North Texas, where he attended Richardson High School (a fictional version of RHS serves as the setting of Re-Election), where he was actually class president. The cutthroat world of teenage politics is familiar to him. Re-Election is not some attempt to exorcise demons or set the past right by the filmmaker. In fact, he believes scripts written to address personal wrongs can be off-putting for audiences and that moviegoers can sense their ulterior motives.

The director admits, however, that he lost an election in college to a guy whose slogan was “Vote For Daniel, It Rhymes With Cocker Spaniel.” Saunders thinks that race actually ended the way it was meant to; he found his way into acting, and his opponent was Daniel Lurie, who currently serves as the mayor of San Francisco. If you have to lose, losing to someone who becomes a career politician can take some of the sting out.

While Re-Election wants to tackle real issues and ideas, it does so with a light touch. It is not a joke-a-minute comedy, but it picks its punches and knows when to loosen things up to let actors earn a laugh. Saunders leverages his own experiences to add verisimilitude to the film, keeping it grounded in spite of its zanier elements.

Even with the light tone, Saunders wants the film’s message to find its way home with audiences. Re-Election is about kindness and empathy, putting more emphasis on building up the people around us.

“We have a sacred responsibility to ourselves,” Saunders says. “Our lives are precious. We cannot hide behind familial obligation. We have to stand up for ourselves. We have to fight for ourselves. And then when we get that platform, if we’re lucky enough to get that platform … as I’m getting with this movie, then we use that to help other people.”

‘Re-Election’ is currently playing at the Angelika Film Center.