"Swing Vote" tells the story of an unemployed father of one who controls the deciding vote in the U.S. presidential election. A technical glitch nullified his original vote so he has to recast his ballot ten days later, leaving the presidential hopefuls ample opportunity to sway his decision.
The film has a vague sort of Capra-esque feel and the premise, while far-fetched, is intriguing. Some of the script's statements feel like a civics lesson but the film isn't so preachy that it overwhelms the story. The satire could have been a bit bolder as well. The script doesn't deliver any pointed observations, if that's what you're expecting.
I feel pretty confident in saying that in the hands of a lesser cast this movie would be nigh unwatchable. Instead, Kevin Costner delivers a charismatic performance that reminds us of how good he can be in the right role. Meanwhile, the actress who played his daughter, twelve year old Madeline Carroll, should have a bright future in front of her. Then there's the impressive supporting cast that features Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane & Dennis Hopper, among others.
On the technical front, the film shows nice production values but doesn't do anything well enough to stand out from the pack. That being said, it was nice to hear the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" over the opening and closing credits even though it's questionable as a sort of 'theme' for the movie.
In the end, "Swing Vote" is a perfectly passable piece of entertainment but one can't help but feel that it doesn't come close to realizing the full potential of its premise. Nevertheless, what made it to the screen is a pretty decent comedy-drama with uniformly good performances.
The film has a vague sort of Capra-esque feel and the premise, while far-fetched, is intriguing. Some of the script's statements feel like a civics lesson but the film isn't so preachy that it overwhelms the story. The satire could have been a bit bolder as well. The script doesn't deliver any pointed observations, if that's what you're expecting.
I feel pretty confident in saying that in the hands of a lesser cast this movie would be nigh unwatchable. Instead, Kevin Costner delivers a charismatic performance that reminds us of how good he can be in the right role. Meanwhile, the actress who played his daughter, twelve year old Madeline Carroll, should have a bright future in front of her. Then there's the impressive supporting cast that features Kelsey Grammar, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane & Dennis Hopper, among others.
On the technical front, the film shows nice production values but doesn't do anything well enough to stand out from the pack. That being said, it was nice to hear the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" over the opening and closing credits even though it's questionable as a sort of 'theme' for the movie.
In the end, "Swing Vote" is a perfectly passable piece of entertainment but one can't help but feel that it doesn't come close to realizing the full potential of its premise. Nevertheless, what made it to the screen is a pretty decent comedy-drama with uniformly good performances.