The Making of a President (thanks to Theodore White for the headline)

Even more than the concept of the high-school election, the setting for this documentary enticed me: my academic rival, Stuyvesant High School. I went to Boston Latin School, another place filled with hyper-smart, college-obsessed students. In fact, my favorite part of Frontrunners had nothing to do with the voting process. Instead, it was the girl who talked about memorizing ranking lists and feeling bad that being No. 36 would get her "only" into Dickinson College, as opposed to an Ivy. Yup, been there. (Well, except that I was No. 18, and Syracuse was my top choice.)

Clinton/Obama goes classroom in Frontrunners, director Caroline Suh’s documentary about the 2006 senior class presidential elections at New York’s ultra-competitive Stuyvesant High. (It accepts only 3% of the 25,000 teens who apply annually.) The veteran politician: George, astute enough to campaign with music atop a bridge because students will be tired from climbing stairs and will have no choice but to look at him. The “change” candidate: Hannah, an outsider known more for her theatrical and cheerleading leadership, possessing personality but not necessarily substance. Frontrunners engages when looking at a political world where debates and endorsements matter yet skimps on the profiles: It would be nice to see Hannah balance campaigning with extracurriculars, or hear what George’s parents think of his quirky, obsessive drive.