Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper,
Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci | Written by Jason Richman & Joshua Michael Stern
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £17.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 120 minutes | Directed by Joshua Michael Stern
The best thing about Bud Johnson (Costner) is his daughter Molly. At 12, she’s his intellectual superior, which isn’t tricky, given his preference for beer over work, reading or any sort of thinking whatsoever.
He is then the least likely person imaginable to decide the US Election but that, due to the Electoral College system, a close Presidential race and a machine that ate Bud’s slip before his vote could be cast, is exactly what he’s become. With Bud’s vote now so vital, both the President (Grammer) and the challenger (Hopper), plus their campaign managers (Tucci and Lane), descend on his small hometown to try and woo America’s most important everyman voter.
Yes, it’s told in broad strokes, yes, it’s a little far-fetched but Costner doing his reliable average Joe thing? Grammer and Hopper? Tucci and Lane as ambitious, pushy aides? That’s a decent movie by anyone’s standards and, while the film loses its way a little towards the end, Swing Vote is frequently very funny, deliciously pointed and is never less than charming.
EXTRAS *** Inside the Campaign: the Politics of Production; deleted and extended scenes; commentary from director Joshua Michael Stern and writer Jason Richman, music video.