Swing Vote (2008)
As a political scientist, I thought this movie was going to be a silly waste of time. The idea that on Election Day, one man’s vote would be solely responsible for choosing the President-Elect of the United States, was preposterous to me. Add in the characteristics of an obvious Republican voter, and there would be absolutely no mystery as to who he would choose, I thought. Well, as a political scientist, I loved this movie.
Kevin Costner stars as the swing voter, and contrary to what the preview will show you, he’s not an obvious Republican. He’s an apathetic American who knows nothing of the issues and wasn’t even registered to vote until his daughter went online for him. In other words, he’s like the majority of the population on Election Day. Most people don’t vote, and most people think their vote doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern wrote a remarkable script, one that constantly walked a tightrope and didn’t take sides. There is no “bad party” or “right choice”. Everyone has their ups and downs, and the audience is constantly on the edge of their seats as to who Costner will eventually choose.
Everyone in the film gave a wonderful performance. Madeline Carroll played Costner’s daughter, and for a first leading role, she was remarkable. It made you wonder why she wasn’t cast in Little Miss Sunshine. I’ve seen a lot of Kevin Costner movies, but I’ve never seen him in a role like this. He played a complete idiot, and he did it beautifully. It wasn’t over-the-top, and it wasn’t one-dimensional. He was so perfectly an idiot, it’s as if he could never play anything else. Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper played the two candidates, and Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane played their campaign managers. All four were wonderful. No one was over-the-top. Director Joshua Michael Stern must have given his actors great and gentle leadership, since every part of the movie was so good.
From a political standpoint, I loved how believable the script was. I won’t get into the details, but the circumstances of the miraculous “swing vote” are very plausible. The political ads, campaign tactics, and media attention was detailed and humorous, but totally true to life. The film was hilarious and touching, and I highly recommend it to every American, regardless of political stance. I’ve only just watched it for the first time, in 2017, but I plan to buy a copy and watch it over and over in the years to come.
More Kevin Costner movies here!
Kevin Costner stars as the swing voter, and contrary to what the preview will show you, he’s not an obvious Republican. He’s an apathetic American who knows nothing of the issues and wasn’t even registered to vote until his daughter went online for him. In other words, he’s like the majority of the population on Election Day. Most people don’t vote, and most people think their vote doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern wrote a remarkable script, one that constantly walked a tightrope and didn’t take sides. There is no “bad party” or “right choice”. Everyone has their ups and downs, and the audience is constantly on the edge of their seats as to who Costner will eventually choose.
Everyone in the film gave a wonderful performance. Madeline Carroll played Costner’s daughter, and for a first leading role, she was remarkable. It made you wonder why she wasn’t cast in Little Miss Sunshine. I’ve seen a lot of Kevin Costner movies, but I’ve never seen him in a role like this. He played a complete idiot, and he did it beautifully. It wasn’t over-the-top, and it wasn’t one-dimensional. He was so perfectly an idiot, it’s as if he could never play anything else. Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper played the two candidates, and Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane played their campaign managers. All four were wonderful. No one was over-the-top. Director Joshua Michael Stern must have given his actors great and gentle leadership, since every part of the movie was so good.
From a political standpoint, I loved how believable the script was. I won’t get into the details, but the circumstances of the miraculous “swing vote” are very plausible. The political ads, campaign tactics, and media attention was detailed and humorous, but totally true to life. The film was hilarious and touching, and I highly recommend it to every American, regardless of political stance. I’ve only just watched it for the first time, in 2017, but I plan to buy a copy and watch it over and over in the years to come.
More Kevin Costner movies here!