Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Typically, when you think of Reese Witherspoon, you think of America’s sweetheart. You think of the sweet but fiercely dedicated Elle Woods from Legally Blonde or the innocent to a fault Annette in Cruel Intentions or the talented by misunderstood June Carter in Walk the Line. There have been a lot of Reese Witherspoons over the years, and almost all of them are fabulous. However, the Reese we get in Big Little Lies is indisputably an adult version of Election’s Tracy Flick.
Election is one of those odd movies that doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matthew Broderick, the dark comedy focuses on an unfortunate high school history teacher who would give anything to sabotage one highly ambitious student — Tracy Flick (Witherspoon). The movie smartly flips expected stereotypes, making this lone teacher, who as an adult and educator, should have far more power than any high schooler, into the victim, while making the unpredictable Tracy the instigator. It’s a twisted dynamic that works well with Witherspoon’s girl next door brand of charm.
Tracy is everything you would expect from a high school-aged antagonist — smart, manipulative, overly emotional, and hyper sexual. However, unlike the Regina Georges of the world, Tracy doesn’t rely on her popularity to control the student government, her school, and everyone around her. No, Tracy uses her raw manic energy and unrelenting determination to get what she wants. That’s what makes her so memorable and so disturbing.
So why are we talking about this 1999 version of Witherspoon 18 years later? Witherspoon’s latest character is essentially the grown up, helicopter mom version of Tracy. Big Little Lies’ Madeline Martha Mackenzie never has an off switch. She’s relentless in her goals, whether those goals are as innocent as befriending the new mom at her daughter’s school or as cruel as shaming the working moms around her. Madeline Martha Mackenzie never stops and, much like her Election counterpart, she is not well liked. If fact, it quickly becomes apparent in the first episode she may even be hated. But damn it all, she’s the queen bee, and she demands your attention.
There are a lot of fun parts to Big Little Lies, especially involving Nicole Kidman’s character Celeste and her world of dark, depressing drama. It’s also nice to see Adam Scott and Shailene Woodley star in something that’s undeniably prestige. The whole cast is strong in this series, seamlessly balancing powerful revelations with well-timed quips. However, it’s Reese Witherspoon’s type A mania that steals the spotlight. Tracy Flick would be proud — or horrified that someone was stealing her attention.
Big Little Lies premieres on HBO, HBO Go, and HBO NOW Sunday, February 19 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
