Swing Vote (2008)

Anyone with a basic understanding of election procedures knows that the American presidency can't be decided by a single voter; even if one county is tied, as in Swing Vote, it's the statewide popular count that determines which candidate receives the electoral votes (see Florida, 2000). But Joshua Michael Stern's film isn't going for plausibility. It's a full-on satire, taking literally the idea that every vote counts, and whatever prejudices Kevin Costner may inspire in a viewer, they don't prevent Stern's script (co-written with Jason Richman) from hitting some bulls-eyes. Politicians have always been accused of changing their positions as a means of pandering to an ever-changing base, but when that base is a single voter, it inspires a number of funny send-ups of political advertising -- like the Republican candidate (Kelsey Grammer) appearing alongside gay soldiers marrying, or the Democrat (Dennis Hopper) showing up on a playground where children are being zapped out of existence because they were aborted. The reason for these flip-flops is that Costner's Bud Johnson doesn't himself know what he wants; his naïve response to whether he's pro-life is "Yeah, of course, who isn't?" Because Grammer and Hopper are both card-carrying members of the GOP -- and both appeared in the heavily right-wing An American Carol -- there's a temptation to look for a conservative agenda in Swing Vote. Truth be told, it isn't there, and despite a rocky and broad beginning, Swing Vote ultimately reveals itself as an earnest supporter of the political process. What's more, it actually has heart. Costner can do these redneck hayseeds named Bud in his sleep, but the real surprise here is his conscientious daughter, played by 12-year-old Madeline Carroll, whose screen presence is downright arresting. Like Bud Johnson himself, Swing Vote may not seem like much on the surface, but assuming it has nothing to say is akin to assuming that one vote doesn't count. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide