Swing Vote
SCORE: 75
I enjoyed watching Swing Vote, especially considering the recent Presidential election. Swing Vote, directed by Joshua Michael Stern, follows Earnest "Bud" Johnson (played by Kevin Costner) through his first election experience. Bud is a single father whose daughter Molly (played by Madeline Carroll) is actually portrayed more as the caregiver – even driving her drunken father home one evening. The movie is set during a fictional Presidential election. Molly is captivated by the political process and is constantly trying to persuade her father to get involved, by casting his vote and fulfilling his civic responsibility.
On election night, there is a problem with a voting machine and Bud's ballot was not counted. As the votes are being counted, the nation finds out that the two Presidential candidates are practically tied in Electoral votes, and only New Mexico is still too close to call. As the media later reports, it is Bud's missing vote that is holding up the election and more importantly, will break the unprecedented tie. The story then follows the two political parties on a journey to convince Bud why he should vote for their candidate.
Both parties are equally mocked by the director, as he tries to show the viewer the political process in what appears to be a very sarcastic manner. In an effort to get Bud's vote, the two parties stoop to new lows, and try any means necessary. The Republican Party is suddenly "Green" and supporting Homosexuality, while the Democrats become Pro-Life over night. This aspect of the film can present some comical moments – as the viewer wonders what the opposing party will do next to get the Independent Bud's vote.
The DVD contains the standard features and bonus material that movie viewers have come to expect – including deleted scenes and audio commentary. One point of note with the main DVD menu was the layout in general. On the main screen, the selections are displayed as political posters, with additional posters in the background. This makes the selections somewhat hard to see at first, but once the viewer can identify the selections, they are easy to navigate.
Even though I enjoyed Swing Vote, I would recommend it only for those families that are willing to address topics such as drinking, alcoholism, lying, homosexuality and political issues. The entire premise of the movie is based on what Bud calls "a little white lie" – and by the end of the movie that issue is accepted and not address. There is a good bit of bad language in the movie, as it is portrayed as part of Bud's character development; although Molly is always trying to get him to stop. There is also a few scenes showing a TV producer (George Lopez) encouraging a reporter to cheat and deceive Bud and Molly in order to stay on top of the story.
The movie does include a star cast in addition to Costner. He is
joined by Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci and
George Lopez. Costner was believable as Bud Johnson. However, the real
star of the movie is Carroll as Bud's daughter Molly. She portrayed a
young girl who is struggling having to be responsible for her father and
keeping a secret that has caused an entire nation to come to a halt.
- Alan
Graphics: 80%
Sound: 79%
Replay/Extras: 70%
Gameplay: 85%
Family Friendly Factor: 60%
System: DVD
Publisher: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: 'PG-13' for Parental
Guidance 13
{mild peril and some thematic elements}
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