Review: “Swing Vote”
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: July 27, 2008
The players: Director: Joshua Michael Stern, Writers: Joshua Michael Stern, Jason Richman, Cast: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci
Facts of interest: Stern's next project is "King Lear."
The plot: The outcome of the presidential election comes down to one man's vote (Costner).
Our quick thoughts: Are you ready to vote? Like many politicians these days, “Swing Vote” makes a lot of promises but eventually fails to keep them. The original idea behind Joshua Michael Stern’s comedy has a lot of potential despite being quite implausible, but in the end, it’s the execution of the concept that ends up failing miserably.
In an unexpected twist of events, the outcome of the U.S. presidential election comes down to one man’s vote. That man is Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), a lazy drunkard and irresponsible single father who acts like a child and couldn’t care less about the state of the world. His young daughter Molly (a delightful Madeline Carroll) is the only voice of reason in the house, but her several attempts to get her dad to act his age fail day in, day out.
When the media finally discovers Bud is the swing voter in the crucial election, all hell breaks loose in the Johnson home. In a matter of just a few hours, all eyes in the U.S. are on Bud, watching as he gears up to recast his vote and decide who’s going to lead the country – current President Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer), or Democratic hopeful Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper). If only Bud had a clue about what’s going on…
Although the official trailer made “Swing Vote” look like a satire on American politics, I prefer to call it a family drama with satirical elements. What the official trailer for the movie didn’t show is that the plot is more about Bud’s relationship with his daughter than it is about politics. Sure, watching Hopper and Grammer kiss Bud’s butt (forgive the pun) to win his vote is humorous and essential to the story, but the real focus of the flick is how Bud slowly learns to take interest in his own daughter and the people of his country.
Unfortunately, once the plot shifts away from the political aspect, there’s nothing left to hold the film together. Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern’s script lacks a clear structure, aiming into several directions without ever hitting a specific target. In other words, the plot is a mess, and the filmmakers try to cover too much material at once. On a similar note, the movie runs for 100 minutes, which is clearly too long.
Shortly after Bud’s face is all over the news and the politicians storm his little town to win his confidence, “Swing Vote” switches to autopilot, following the predictable routine of a saccharine family flick that doesn’t take enough risks in an attempt to surprise its audience. Instead of going a little further with the mockery of the political parties and the way they change their platform to please Bud, all the film does is turn sweet and emotional and make everybody realize how ignorant they all have been. Innovative this is not!
Luckily enough, the few satirical comments you’ll find in the film are hilarious enough to keep you engaged. The humor is not exactly as sharp as in Jason Reitman’s “Thank You for Smoking,” but the bunch of funny slogans and hysterically funny campaign ads featuring Hopper and Grammer lighten up the screen and should bring along some more than welcomed laughs. Additionally, select interactions between the political candidates and Bud prove to be quite amusing as well.
If you catch yourself smiling quite bit during the flick it’s probably because of Kevin Costner, who delivers a solid enough performance as apathetic New Mexico resident who changes from a drunken bastard into a good-hearted citizen who learns to respect his civic responsibilities. The shallow script doesn’t always supply him with the greatest lines, but he’s refreshing enough to watch.
Although her character is a little too smart and over the top at times, newcomer Madeline Carroll is just delightful in the role of Bud’s responsible daughter. Grammer and Hopper also make the best out of their roles, while supporting actors such as Stanley Tucci, George Lopez and Nathan Lane are wasted.
Freaky quote: “Remind me again who's running." – Kevin Costner
The final word: “Swing Vote” is certainly not a total disaster, but it’s only half as smart as it set out to be. The film is definitely entertaining at times, but the long running time and some obvious flaws in the script kill off some of the film’s potential early on. At least it’s good to see Costner back on the big screen, because he’s certainly got what it takes to play an ignorant jerk slipping into the spotlight of an entire nation.
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (1)
Kevin Costner.
This guy is a certified, grade-A douche bag. He has been churning out turds since the 1980s. The only reason he has had a career is because he took roles that made him appealing to women, the only fans he has.
Not that it is a bad thing to have women like you, it's not. But if you are a truly gifted actor your talent should be appreciated by both sexes. And realistically, it's not like these women really think he is a good actor. They just liked the way he looked in the eighties. The man has no acting talent to speak of, he merely relies on charm to make his way through a motion picture.
This is one actor I don't mind saying I don't like. I think he is a talent less hack.