SYNOPSIS: SWING VOTE follows the story of Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), an apathetic, beer-slinging, lovable loser, who is coasting through a life that has passed him by. The one bright spot is his precocious, over-achieving twelve year-old daughter Molly. She takes care of both of them, until one mischievous moment on Election Day, when she accidentally sets off a chain of events which culminates in the election coming down to one vote…her dad’s.  SWING VOTE is a comical look at the journey of one father and daughter who discover that everyone has the power to change the world.

REVIEW: Kevin Costner is probably one of the best actors that end up in movies that seem to always bomb. He is pretty famous for it. You kinda feel bad for the guy, you know. I was hoping this one would be a fresh start for him . . . well maybe it is, but not really. His performance was decent enough along with the rest of the cast, and the surrounding story was okay too, but the movie as a whole will not jump start Kevin’s roller coaster career. This is one of those movies that define the term average. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either, it is right up the middle. The brightest aspect of this picture is definitely Madeline Carroll who plays Molly Johnson, Bud Johnson’s (Costner) daughter. Her performance was a breath of fresh air. She carried the movie better than Kevin. I caught myself looking forward to seeing her throughout the movie. She is just flat out adorable and expressive. Her acting was genuine and moving. I don’t want to say it again because I’m starting to sound like a broken record. If you’ve read some of my other reviews on movies with child actors you’ll know what I mean when I say, once again, where do they get these kids from??? Their talent is astounding and Madeline is no exception. Her character is very smart, decisive, expressive, and independent. It’s almost like she’s the parent and Bud is the child. Granted, when you’re dealing with a character like Bud, a single parent who means well as a father but is a bum in pretty much every other aspect of his life and would trade anything for a beer or to go fishing, it’s not hard to see how Molly had to grow up fast and fend for herself.

The story revolves around our civic responsibility as American citizens, voting. At least you’ve got to give credit to the moviemakers for releasing this one at a good point in time and it does truly emphasize the importance of voting regardless of your political beliefs. Voting is as American as apple pie, Chevys, and baseball and this movie gives a good dose of all things Americana, including the madness we call the media and the “beauty” of our political process as seen through the campaign strategies given by the candidates and their campaign teams. The strategy is simple, win at any cost. Even though the premise of this film is far fetched, there are some strong, resounding statements made throughout that would be hard for us to admit or face but are true nonetheless. Speaking of statements, the dialogue in this picture is sharp and witty, simple and complex, truth and lies. The purpose of this movie is not to focus on the unlikely premise of one man deciding who the next President will be, but rather to shed light on the human condition in this country as evident by the media and how it behaves, politics, the average citizen and the below average citizen.

Don’t get me wrong, this movie is not all seriousness. There is a good amount of comedy to go along with the respectable performances delivered by this stellar cast. But when it got down to being serious and dramatic, it delivered as well. Writer/Director Joshua Michael Stern has really done a good job of getting the message across of the importance of voting in an entertaining way. It will make you laugh, it might make you cry, and it will definitely make you reflect. I realize most people might not be turned on by political type movies, but if you are in the mood to rekindle your patriotism, I recommend it with the condition that you take it at face value and don’t go in with high expectations.

Review By Cinemarcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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