Despite its disturbing inconsistencies, this gently satirical, Frank Capra-esque riff on the political process is a melodramatic civics lesson.
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08/01/08
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Swing Vote (2008)
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:52
Rotten:89
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Despite Kevin Costner providing his most charismatic performance in years, Swing Vote fails to find the right mix of political satire and heartfelt drama.
Theatrical Release:Aug 1, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $16,229,781
Synopsis: Writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (NEVERWAS) tackles American politics in his second feature film. Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is just your below-average Joe. He works in an egg factory, likes... [More]
Starring: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
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Reviews for Swing Vote
Like some unwieldy piece of legislation, Swing Vote smacks of a lost opportunity - a chance to make an important statement, but watered down by compromises.
08/01/08
Swing Vote almost got my vote until its long and treacly last act.
08/01/08
Carroll turns Costner into her comic foil, effectively relegating the Oscar winner to giving a supporting-sidekick performance in his own film.
08/01/08
One minute you're laughing at its sendup of the political process, and the next you're stricken by the sorry state of the sweet and brainy protagonist's family.
08/01/08
Ostensibly a political satire with a heart of mush, Joshua Michael Stern hopelessly muddled film cries out for the firm hand of either a dyed-in-the-wool cynic like Billy Wilder.
08/01/08
One of the most surprising, politically suggestive movies to come out of Hollywood this year.
08/01/08
As often happens with politics, even as Swing Vote entertains, it leaves us feeling like we've been subjected to some slick manipulation and worse, left with promises unfulfilled.
08/01/08
Swing Vote, an oddly off-balance comedy directed by Joshua Michael Stern, feels like two movies; one much better than the other.
08/01/08
It's a clever idea for a lampoon and the movie has some fun with it, especially in the scenes that show us how willing and eager the candidates are to shade or reverse their positions on ANY issue at the slightest hint it might please [Bud].
08/01/08
The mix of comedy and drama is winning; Costner couldn't be better, and the little girl is a find.
08/01/08
Top CriticA deathly uneven, woefully unfunny attempt at a political comedy/statement from an emphatically nondescript filmmaker and an overexcited Kevin Costner is not the proper vessel for change.
08/01/08
Stern and his lead actor do manage to pull it all together at the end.
08/01/08
Top CriticSometimes, an actor's enthusiasm for a role can carry a performance past its more awkward moments.
08/01/08
Swing Vote nicely boils down America's political malaise to one man's awakening from a Budweiser stupor and seeing the only thing that matters when you don't pay attention and exercise the franchise on Election Day: You're letting your kid down.
08/01/08
Ee're all supposed to forgive his numerous faults when we see the sparkle in his eye and how much he really does love his daughter.
08/01/08
This would-be civics lesson is such an appalling view of American democracy that it could be used as a recruiting film by al Qaeda.
08/01/08
Top CriticThe lightweight Swing Vote is a good-ol'-boy civics lesson that's too scattered to achieve its predictable goals.
08/01/08
The film eventually bogs down in drama, with an unnecessary subplot involving Bud's estranged wife and an ethical dilemma for a local news reporter (Paula Patton) that never really gets off the ground.
08/01/08
For all its faults -- and they are numerous -- Swing Vote is a hard movie to dislike by the end simply because it nails the uplifting moment that it has spent two hours chasing.
08/01/08
Latest News for Swing Vote
January 13, 2009:
With Costner's yokel having a decided preference for being handed a beer rather than a ballot, he does a pretty darn good job of exposing the phony platitudes and pandering of candidates, in a movie about bad news politicians and even badder parenting. 
More...
January 09, 2009:
With Costner's yokel having a decided preference for being handed a beer rather than a ballot, he does a pretty darn good job of exposing the phony platitudes and pandering of candidates, in a movie about bad news politicians and even badder parenting.
More...
August 18, 2008:
Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer Sued for Cribbing Swing Vote Script
Former Bush assistant and political pundit Bradley A. Blakeman claims the political comedy, in theaters now, was lifted from a script he spent eight years writing. More...
August 03, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Bat Still Going Strong, Three Weeks In
The Dark Knight won't losen its grip on the box office gold, but the Mummy is a very close silver. More...
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