Review of Swing Vote (2008) by Jeff B — 16 Aug 2010

Not only is the Capra-esque comedy Swing Vote overlong, it is also overdone. During one scene near the very beginning, the drunken apathetic main character literally bangs his head on a sign that reads ?Vote Today.? And the audience, of course, also gets knocked over the head with such heavy-handedness?all through the picture. This overstatement proves unfortunate too?the movie has likeability in spades. If only the writer/director had extended his audience a little credit.

In the PG-13 comedy Swing Vote, Costner plays a laid-back slacker who is suddenly thrust into the national spotlight when the presidential election comes down to one?single?vote. When both candidates (Hopper, Kelsey Grammer) show up in small-town New Mexico, however, this slacker must sober up and make a decision.

And by Capra-esque, this reviewer meant the sentimental works of one of H'Wood?s all-time greatest Golden Age directors, Frank Capra. Not only did this man give moviegoers It Happened One Night, It?s a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, he also gave us Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a classic piece of Americana pitting one unlikely everyman against the tyranny of crooked politics. Swing Vote delivers a somewhat similar scenario, yes, but it also spoons out excessive amounts of a precocious daughter, an Afterschool Special-type lesson on the importance of voting, and a long running time. A game cast (especially Costner) almost makes this reviewer want to recast his vote. With all of these sticking points reporting, however, the prospects look grim indeed.

Bottom line: Bad politics.