Writer-director Alexander Payne has shown a remarkably interesting vision with his films, in which the often quirky set-up is merely a seriocomic stage through which to explore human foibles. With "Citizen Ruth" (1996), he examined the gravely serious issue of reproductive rights, an unlikely subject for a comedy, and turned out a smart satire. In "Election" (1999), he used a seemingly inconsequential high school presidential race to plumb the darkest recesses of human nature. Then there were two road movies, "About Schmidt" (2002) which used a cross country journey to his daughter's wedding
