Swing Vote

SCRIBE'S "IF THIS IS ONE OF THE RICHEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, WHY IS IT SO MANY OF US CAN BARELY AFFORD LIVING HERE?" REVIEW:

I’m sad to say I put off seeing this movie when it saw a theatrical release because I was overwhelmed by politics at the time. My library has several copies and after having stared at them for the better part of a year, I decided to take one home and see if it was any good. It turned out to be better than that.

Swing Vote’s conceit is that the outcome of the presidential election comes down to literally one man, one vote. In this case, the vote belongs to Ernest “Bud” Johnson (Costner) a drunken yet lovable loser good ol’ boy who wouldn’t know a voting booth from a bathroom stall. Bud’s twelve-year old daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll, an incredible young actor) is a brooding, disappointed intellectual whose desire to see her father be more serious about life prompts her to talk him into voting. Sadly, he gets drunk that day, prompting Molly to sneak in and cast his vote just as a senile cleaning lady unplugs the voting machines and freezes the vote before its cast.

What results is a comedy about the political process that actually moves along at a steady clip. Bud is so damn likable that everything he does is fun to watch. The drama in the film is compelling as well, providing a nice counter-balance to a stretch of a premise. The scenes of the two political candidates portrayed by Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper trying to woo him to their side are often hilarious and sometimes touching and depressing.

The best moments occur whenever Bud makes an easily misinterpreted comment to the press and the propaganda machines on both sides attempt to indulge what they think he meant. It’s a perfect showcase for the whoring involved in politics. The Democrats take a pro-life and anti-illegal immigration stance, while the Republicans take a pro-environmental and pro gay marriage stance. Eventually, both candidates realize just how far they’ve fallen to get this guy’s vote and that’s when the drama ensues.

The acting in the film is outstanding. Anyone who doubted Costner’s talent should be reassured by his performance in this one. The only weak link is a too-earnest performance by Paula Patton as a local reporter who breaks the story on Bud’s dubious voting experience, but she’s so pretty you can’t help but be drawn in by her enthusiasm.

This is one of those films with a smart screenplay that knows what to show and what to avoid showing. The somewhat ambiguous ending is necessary and works perfectly.

**** out of *****

GREEN’S “SCARING THE HELL OUT OF AMERICA” REVIEW:

What happens when one man has the power to decide the direction of America with his vote? Small town hick Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) doesn’t believe his vote will make a difference - until it does, thanks to his eleven year old daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll). See, Bud’s the only one who can break the election day tie between the incumbent Republican President, Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer), and his Democratic challenger, Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper). In order to court the voter, both candidates spend ten days in Bud’s small town of Texico, New Mexico, promising everything under the sun if Bud will vote for him. That Bud is the tie breaking vote is supposed to be a well guarded secret but is revealed by a local television reporter, Kate Madison (Paula Patton).

For whatever reason, this film slipped under my radar when it was released in 2008. My guess is that it didn’t get a whole lot of publicity, considering the ups and (mostly) downs of Kevin Costner’s career in the 2000’s. I’m not sure if this was one of Kevin Costner’s better roles and wonder if they could have chosen a different lead actor and still had a charming little movie. Even so, Costner's character is likable and the movie has a top notch supporting cast. What was surprising about this movie is the big screen debut of then eleven year old actress Madeline Carroll, who handles her role deftly and really steals the film from the glitz and accomplishments of the other cast members.

The script won’t wow you but it is good enough to keep you interested. You’d think the premise of the film is silly but after the silliness of the real life elections in 2000 and 2004, you just never can tell. I think the best line in the film is where Bud asks Kate "who is running, again (for President)?"

One thing about American films like this is that we have no problem lambasting our own political process and exposing the silliness that it contains. This film has three things going for it: no romantic scenes between Bud & Kate, though if the film were longer you could see it heading that way and two scenes in the final act, which I shall not reveal that a) we don’t need to see and b) because it makes you wonder…

This politically themed film will never be considered a classic along with the likes of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but what it gives you is two solid hours of fruitful entertainment. The DVD extras include a short, but enjoyable ‘making of’ featurette and some deleted/extra scenes.

This film slipping under the radar as it did was good in a way because it enabled me to buy a brand new copy of the DVD for a dollar. No kidding. Nothing wrong with that boys and girls.

***½ out of *****

Swing Vote (2008, PG-13, 120 minutes), starring Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Paula Patton, Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane and George Lopez. Written by Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern. Directed by Joshua Michael Stern.