Since 1996 |
  
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
|
|
Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
|
| Home
Subscribe About Us Features News Album
Reviews
|
Swing Vote Stars: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci and Mare Winningham with cameos by Willie Nelson and Richard Petty Director: Joshua Michael Stern Scriptwriters: Joshua Michael Stern and Jason Richman Composer: John Debney Treehouse Films/Touchstone Rating: PG 13 for profane language Running Length: 110 minutes What if you had the opportunity to pick the next President of the United States? If the fate of McCain and Obama rested on your shoulders alone would you bask in the glow of power or shrink back at the tremendous responsibility? In the new comedy, Swing Vote, one normal American citizen gets that chance. It is an interesting thought concept and with the way our election process works, it is not too far fetched. The odds are near incomprehensible, but on paper, it is at least possible. As I watched the film I wondered how I would handle the responsibility. And I must admit I was a little ashamed at what I discovered about myself. Dang you Hollywood! In this film we find the presidential election at a standstill due to a voting malfunction in a small town in New Mexico. The 5 electoral votes coming from this state will decide the outcome of the election. And the outcome hinges on one mans vote. A vote that didn’t register and a vote he must now recast. And this vote is the one the entire country is watching and waiting for. Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is a man who drifts through life with a beer can and little regard for the state of anything. He is at a point where all his dreams are past him and he has no ambition to reach for any new ones. The only decent thing in his life is his twelve year old daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll). She is certainly the adult in the family and does all she can to get her dad to focus on the situation and make a smart decision. Bud just wants to party and enjoy his new found celebrity status. The weight of the vote itself means very little. He just likes the free stuff. I loved the way this film poked and made fun of the campaign process. Watching the two presidential nominees (Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper) do everything in their power to woo Bud is a realistic view of politics as a whole. Their campaign managers (Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane) care nothing about honesty and character, but only about winning. The two nominees find themselves jumping through hoops and wobbling on their platforms and beliefs every time Bud mentions things he wants and cares about. In no time at all everyone has lost site of what they stood for. Issues like immigration, abortion, and healthcare are all touched on in a way that is subtle yet poignant. This is meant to be a comedy but you get the feeling the writers had points to drive home. Still. the film has no party agenda and shows both sides in the same negative light. As relevant as the message is it does not make up for the lack of acting and direction of the overall project. At times this felt like a made for TV movie and Costner seems like he is trying too hard. Bud doesn’t come across as believable or genuine. That is very important in a film like this. Also, at times it seems geared toward adults with the heavier language only to switch gears and be more about the daughter Molly and her struggles. It is a Disney film so mom is non existent and we see Molly struggle in this area and trying to get her dad to shape up. These two sides never gel and take away from the foundation of the film. Swing Vote is rated PG-13 for language. There is nothing else in this movie that is objectionable. Still the lack of great comedy or strong characters negates any family friendliness. It is an ok film at best and with the price of movie tickets you certainly don’t get a big bang for your hard earned buck. Though a decent film to watch on cable on a lazy Saturday afternoon, it has no true big screen appeal and I give it only 2.5 hanging chads. Matt Mungle (7/30/08) "Matt is a member of the North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and hosts a daily online talk show along with a weekend radio feature, The Mungles on Movies, with his wife Cindy. For additional reviews, interview clips and great DVD giveaways, visit the website www.mungleshow.com"
Review copyright 2008 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
Kevin Costner, one of the producers of Swing Vote, knows how to play a man at odds with society. He goes overboard in this film of a man, who by a mistake, is the remaining person to break a tie in a presidential election. As written by director Joshua Michael Stern and Jason Richman, there are spots of electricity in the film, but eventually, it boils down to monologues of the main character’s use of alcohol, irresponsibility, lack of parenting skills, and personal hygiene. Plus, the film drags on by at least 20 minutes. Main plot has Costner playing Bud (who frequently holds a beer in his hand and talk about product placement), who has custody of his daughter, Molly (newcomer Madeline Carroll). She is precocious and enables her Dad to get away with his wrong behavior. When it comes time to vote, which Molly thinks is important, Dad gets drunk and forgets to go. Molly tries to vote in his place, but the machine malfunctions and she can’t. However, election official trace the malfunction to Bud, and legal representatives tell him he has ten days to re-vote. In the meantime, the media get wind of this, as do the presidential candidates, and a field day ensues. Bud’s trailer home is turned into a circus and he is famous. This lends itself to humorous scenes where Bud goes to visit President Grammer and his aide, Stanley Tucci on Air Force One or hob nobs with the other candidate, Dennis Hopper and his aide, Nathan Lane. Mare Winningham has a late role in the film, and this wakes up the audience as she is the only one who seems to really act and not just ham for the camera. John Debney’s music score is rousing as is the photography for the town of Texico, New Mexico, with a chicken factory as a claim to fame. What is brought out is the importance of voting and how one person’s vote can really count. What is also brought out is that Child Services should have visited Bud’s trailer home years before and a scene of a child driving a drunken father home are not funny. Both the current president and other candidate are shown as grabbing at every opportunity, but still having some values. Paula Patton’s character as an ambitious newswoman gives her little to do but act on camera and be worried about her ratings. School is sometimes an afterthought and there are times when the child parents the adult. I felt the script was overly long with extra scenes of Bud’s drinking, Molly’s class in school and the frustrations of a child old before her years. Her only friend is another boy in class with a similar situation---his father drinks and passes out, too. A vital scene with Mare Winningham is short and more could have dramatized the story. In this film, it could have been “Molly For President.” So many missed opportunities in this movie. Copyright 2008 Marie Asner
|
Copyright © 1996 - 2008 The Phantom Tollbooth
