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Sports‘Swing Vote’ deserves a better release date
Friday, Aug. 8, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Photo Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures
Bud (Kevin Costner) and Molly (Madelline Carroll) relax in their modest home in the comedy, ‘‘Swing Vote.”
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In 2007, few watched Angeline Jolie in ‘‘A Mighty Heart” or Don Cheadle light up the screen in ‘‘Talk to Me.” Edward Norton’s ‘‘The Illusionist” received very little love in 2006.
This year’s nominee (pun intended) for best non-summer movie to be cast in the unforgiving summer season all but assured to be crushed under ‘‘The Dark Knight’s” heel, is ‘‘Swing Vote.”
It’s a shame because it’s a smart, witty, thought-provoking film that reinforces the idea that every individual’s vote can really make a difference.
Kevin Costner (‘‘Mr. Brooks”) stars as Bud, a man who finds comfort in emptying one can or bottle of beer after another. He’s a slacker to the highest degree without any real regard for anything except his daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll ‘‘Goldfish”).
Molly reminds Bud that he needs to cast his vote in the presidential election, but in typical fashion he gets drunk and passes out in his truck.
Disappointed that her father would so cavalierly disregard his civic duty, Molly begins to vote for him when a freak power outage results in the vote not being tallied.
And that vote, through a number of coincidences, is the one that will determine the next president of the United States. One enterprising reporter (Paula Patton, ‘‘Déjà Vu”) finds out that it’s Bud and the nation’s media becomes obsessed with all things Bud.
Now assuming you don’t get caught up working the logistics out and just go along with writers Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern, the film becomes a lot of fun.
Both candidates President Boone (Kelsey Grammer) and Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper) and their respective campaign teams descend on New Mexico to do what they’ve been doing all along. But now they can focus their efforts on one voter.
If Bud mentions he’s in favor of gay rights, a candidate is quick to get a perfectly over-the-top commercial advocating gay rights complete with rainbow backdrops and fireworks.
Richman and Stern, who also serves as the film’s director, subtly cast stones at the often hypocritical nature of politics and provide the audience’s ultimate political fantasy of having the presidential candidates catering directly to them.
Costner takes a role that doesn’t come across as all that difficult but in the slightest manner turns Bud into a unique character — one who resembles the apathetic voting community who believe their voices goes unheard.
And Bud soon realizes that being the belle of the ball isn’t really that great if it means disappointing Molly.
Stern could have made the film tighter by cutting about 20 minutes, five of which being a needless appearance by Costner’s band performing a song.
He hammers home the point that the candidates will do anything to woo Bud a bit longer than necessary, but the end result works despite the pacing missteps.
It’s baffling as to why Touchstone Pictures decided to toss ‘‘Swing Vote” in the deep end of the summer movie season when this is a movie that would have been so much more timely if it were released in September or October in the heart of voting season.
