Back in November of 2000, when all eyes went to Florida and their voting process, everyone began to reconsider their stance on the motto that every vote counts. However, as shown in 2004, the mind boggling event that held the country in limbo for over a month seemed to have lost its flair as many decided not to vote for the next President. Now, as the 2008 election begins to come into focus, Kevin Costner and company look to remind everyone just how important the judicial system really is with their comedic film, Swing Vote.
For starters, the film has a very intriguing premise. Set in the small county in New Mexico, Bud (played by Kevin Costner) is quite possibly the worst father to ever appear on screen. Stuck in a factory job where 'in-sourcing' continues to be a problem, Bud relies on his 12 year-old daughter, Molly, to take care of him. However, Molly can only do so much. When her father forgets to show up to vote, Molly decides to vote for him; thus setting off a wild chain of events that places Bud at the center of attention where he must cast his vote and decide who will be the next President of the United States of America.
His choices are quite simple, incumbent Boone or Democratic rival Donald Greenleaf. However, it wasn't the story that really took center stage during the film's two hour running time, but the message in which it was trying to convey; a message that is easily picked out and heard quite clearly by credit time.
The message is a simple one, one dealing with the importance of voting and acting on your civil duty. Unfortunately, the film has a hard time staggering the message throughout, instead cramming it down our throats from beginning to end.
Yet, even with all the political jumble, I can't help but be impressed with the comedic look that the writers have on the morals of the stereotypical politician. Throughout the film, Bud unknowingly makes remarks about how he feels concerning certain issues. It is then that the politicians, regardless of their views, cater to his every need, making promises that they know they cannot keep and creating hysterical political ads to boast their new found compass. Through this, the film is able to present how many American's feel regarding the morals and trust that they have in their future leaders.
While Kevin Costner turned in his usual performance, it was the work of Madeline Carroll who stole the show. Playing Bud's daughter Molly, Madeline brings a sense of maturity and responsibility to the otherwise lacking feature. Additionally, she is able to create a counterbalance with others on screen, surviving the daunting task of sharing the screen with stars such as Kelsey Grammar and the r Dennis Hopper. Thus, the young actress is able to shine through her immature dialogue, proving herself as an actress and showing that she is worth keeping an eye on.
However, even with its classic moments, the film still came across as a little dated. Reminding me more of Costner's past films, For Love of the Game and Message in a Bottle, the film's cinematography was overdone as it tried to express the visuals of a small town, unexpectedly thrown into the national spotlight. The colors were dull and the scenery looked like it had been pulled from my hometown of McGregor, Texas, a true representation of 1990's Texas country!
As a result, I am completely torn over this picture. Is it good because of its acting and precise comedic timing? Or is it bad because of the immature dialogue and overbearing message? To save time and effort, I will compromise and say that it is a decent film that unfortunately has a few too many flaws to really warrant a recommendation.
