‘SWING VOTE’: A SURPRISING COMEDY THAT’S A GOOD POLITICAL BALANCE
Putting together an impressive cast is perhaps what Swing Vote does best. It also has a mostly interesting plot too.
Swing Vote (2008) Film Review
Living in Texico, New Mexico is where Molly Johnson (Madeline Carroll) resides. Working hard to keep her father, a man who drinks too much and perhaps works too little, Molly is more parent than Bud (Kevin Costner) ever is. She wakes him to get him to work on time, makes him food and yet if needed, she’s his biggest fan when child services come looking. Just trying to get by with what she has in the aftermath of her mother leaving, the one thing Molly asks of Bud is that he meets her after school to vote. Because voting is important.
When Bud heads to the bar after work and forgets to meet his daughter, Molly tries to sneak in a vote for him, only an electrical snag means the vote doesn’t count. This puts the election at a standstill as this man’s one vote will decide the presidency.
LIST | SEVEN COMEDY MOVIES ABOUT ELECTIONS AND VOTING
🗳️‘SWING VOTE’: A SURPRISING COMEDY THAT'S A GOOD POLITICAL BALANCE🗳️ #COMEDY #COMEDYMOVIES #MOVIES #REVIEW #MOVIEREVIEWS #REVIEWER #VOTING Share on XSwing Vote is one of those movies I saw years ago, maybe even when it was released. I didn’t remember the specifics or details but decided to re-watch it again. This after I added it to our last film list. The film isn’t good in a long memorable kind of way, but it’s also better than I remember it being. The cast alone lines up A-listers. Not just Costner but Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, Paula Patton and more. The cast has so many recognizable names, it’s funny to forget this one exists. There’s a decent rating for this on the couple of places I looked, so some viewers do enjoy this one and for the most part, it earns that distinction.
What I appreciate most about this is the set up. There’s a democrat and republican candidate and Molly informs her father that he’s independent. This type of setup is the best because it works well without favoring one of the two parties over the other. And for the most part, with an exception here or there, the writer’s showcases both sides in negative and positive lights, which again I appreciate. It’s wiser and makes the film far more entertaining.
All in all, those who are weary of politics and those that like politics can probably enjoy this. There are politics involved because that’s the entire premise, but the film takes a deeper approach. Bud isn’t a character I readily like, but he grows thanks to the people who challenge him and I like that he starts to listen. Finally, I do like the way this ends. It could have cut the length a little, and will rub some the wrong way, but really, it’s the only way this can end in a satisfactory kind of way without making a political statement. Swing Vote may be an unbelievable premise, but it’s also entertaining so I’m willing to accept this.
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Content: there’s a couple of F-words and Bud uses “Jesus” and GD as swear words (Molly scolds him for this). One character drinks to excess. The film is PG-13.
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