There is not a single Alexander Payne movie I haven’t loved.

About Schmidt is my favorite movie of his.

I love most of his movies. I will say I didn't really care for The Descendants, though.

I love Margo Martindale. I hope she is confirmed for the “Practical Magic “ sequel!

Yes, I know that’s off topic.

I hated “Nebraska,” a clichéd, condescending film. And that opened my eyes to things I disliked about a lot of his other films, though I had overlooked them at first.

And with “The Holdovers,” a thoroughly conventional, predictable movie, he deliberately set a ‘70s throwback in the ‘70s, inspiring a reactionary nostalgia that many older critics and moviegoers responded to uncritically. His calculations saved the film from the ‘so what’ shrugs it should have gotten (and received from me).

Once I’d seen his movies and manipulations through that lens, I could never go back. Though I still think “Election” has a purity his other films lack. You just need to know he is pretty much a Tracy Flick himself.

If you haven’t seen Citizen Ruth do yourself a favor and watch.

I agree with r4 about “Election.” It has a lot to say and probably couldn’t be made today. I had friends who were Tracy Flicks and I would notice teachers actually rooting for them to fail. Really sick shit.

I haven't seen them all, but I do love the ones I've seen. I need to re-watch Election.