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Frontrunners

Play trailer Poster for Frontrunners 2008 1h 23m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A campaign for president of the student body at Stuyvesant High School resembles a national election.

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Frontrunners

Frontrunners

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Critics Consensus

Frontrunners offers poignant insights into the high school power structure, with more than a few parallels to the current U.S. election.

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Critics Reviews

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Leo Goldsmith IndieWire 08/08/2009
Even an offhand debate between a few students late in the film about whether or not Bush is a "retard," while not exactly insightful, nonetheless portrays a student body for whom politics%u2014or at least arguing about it%u2014is essential. Go to Full Review Reyhan Harmanci San Francisco Chronicle 10/24/2008
4/4
The film sets just the right tone: with inventive music choices and wonderfully piquant moments plucked from what must have been hundreds of hours of footage, Frontrunners is consistently entertaining. Go to Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 10/24/2008
4/5
Perhaps it's the bright, decent, appealing kids seen here, or just the idyllic portrait Suh paints of student life at Manhattan's prestigious Stuyvesant High School that gives the picture its charm. Go to Full Review Robert W. Butler Kansas City Star 01/09/2009
2.5/4
The film accurately captures the world of adolescence. But emotionally and intellectually the film walks down the center stripe, picking up little insights while remaining bogged down in blandness. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/26/2013 Entertaining and insightful. See more 10/27/2010 A documentary following a high school's student council election shouldn't be this compelling. But interesting contenders and a great narration make this film both compelling and entertaining. See more 08/25/2010 A very watchable and engaging look at the high school voting system at one of the world's most prestigious high schools, Stuyvesant. The filmmakers were smart to let the students have the spotlight and not intervene or interview them within the film. The movie was easy to relate to without reminding me of all the things in high school that irritated me. See more 05/31/2010 Cute idea, but of course the filmmakers were limited in what they could make of it by what the kids actually did. Forgettable, but diverting. See more 04/17/2010 This is a fun documentary. john Hughes meets C Span maybe? Overachieving kids running for high school president. The strongest part of the film is George, this fabulously geeky kid with big ideas and lots of energy running. The film doesn't really do anything other than entertain, but its fun. Maybe Wes Anderson should direct a film based on this one, something akin to Rushmore? See more 02/03/2010 FRONTRUNNERS is a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one of the country's most prestigious public high schools: Stuyvesant High School in New York City. An entertaining and symbolic campaign film, put forth in classic verité style, we follow four charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level. These teenaged candidates face the same issues as candidates of any age, such as picking the 'right' running mate, shaking as many hands as possible, preparing for televised debates, impressing the pundits and journalistic community, addressing sensitive race-related issues, and mobilizing an apathetic voter base. A microcosm of the U.S. Presidential elections, Caroline Suh's film shows politicking and pluralities through the lens of the adolescent experience. See more Read all reviews
Frontrunners

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Cast & Crew

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Caroline Suh

Director

Erika Frankel

Producer

Gregory Mitnick

Cinematographer

Jane Rizzo

Film Editing
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Frontrunners

Frontrunners (2008) Frontrunners (2008) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A campaign for president of the student body at Stuyvesant High School resembles a national election.
Director
Caroline Suh
Producer
Erika Frankel
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 23m
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