In this most vitriolic of political seasons, it makes sense that a studio would release a film that tries to bring peace to this increasingly divided country. Who better to unite us all than the everyman character that Kevin Costner has worn over the years like a comfortable pair of fishing boots? As more and more "average Americans" feel like they have no control over the decisions that are made about their country, it feels like an appropriate time for Hollywood to swoop in with a heartwarming tale that puts it all in perspective. Audiences are ready for a political movie, one that deflates the giant egos trying to rule the world by bringing them down to the level of the every man and makes us feel good about our ridiculous electoral process. Swing Vote could have been that movie. It’s not. Instead, debut writer/director Joshua Michael Stern commits the same sin as the politicos that he's trying to skewer - he plays to the lowest common denominator and does so with all the subtlety of an ABC Family movie. Like a once-popular candidate who doesn't place in the early primaries, Swing Vote could have been a contender if only it had run a better campaign.

Costner stars as Bud Johnson, a character who might have been interesting if he was a believable everyman, but star/producer and writer/director choose to push this dude way too far into trailer-trash idiocy. Bud drinks his way through the single fatherhood of his idealistic daughter named Molly (Madeline Carroll, whose charming debut is the best thing about Swing Vote) and struggles with a blue-collar job. Johnson could have been a working-class hero, but Costner plays him just one note shy of mentally handicapped. In an early scene, Bud complains about how he'll have to sell blood if Molly gets sick again and yet he later barely seems to even know the role of the President of the United States. Swing Vote only works if we can identify with Bud, but Costner (who has actually been quite good lately in films like The Upside of Anger) hits this ball too hard, crafting a Hollywood version of a regular guy instead of a real one.

The plot of Swing Vote kicks in when Molly begs her half-drunk father to vote, not only because she thinks it's important, but also because she has a class project to write a report about the process. But Bud gets a little too drunk, so Molly decides to try and vote for her father. She sneaks in, signs his name, and is ready to be a part of the social contract when the plug gets pulled on her voting booth. It leaves Bud's vote uncounted, and, coincidentally, the national election comes down to one county, where the incumbent Republican (Kelsey Grammer) and challenging Democrat (Dennis Hopper) are tied. They need Bud's tie-breaking vote. The world comes crashing down on the blue-collar community of Texico, New Mexico, including the campaign advisors for the two candidates, played by Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane. Who will Bud vote for? Will the gorgeous local reporter (Paula Patton) break the story that Molly was the one who half-voted in the first place? Will the candidates completely sell their souls to get one vote?

There's the foundation for a good film here, but Swing Vote can't figure out what it wants to be. It's not broad enough to be satire (only a hilariously offensive pro-life commercial has any teeth at all), but never believable enough to be a character piece. And it's so depressingly predictable. Imagine if Hopper/Lane played the Republicans and Grammer/Tucci played the Democrats. Imagine if the fact that Bud is not a very good father was treated with even an ounce of sincerity. Imagine if the people who write to Bud trying to get their stories heard in front of the candidates felt like they were remotely genuine and not just a manipulative, third-act device. People always complain that politicians are just trying to sell an image, but Swing Vote does exactly the same thing - a world where the everyman can be heard and where all it takes to be politically active is a night of cramming. This politically driven writer wants to like any film where the basic message is "pay attention, people," but the critic in me can't give a movie with all the subtlety of a lead hammer a pass on thematic intentions alone.

Rating: ONE AND A HALF BONES

Reviewed by Brian Tallerico (MovieRetriever.com Film Critic)

Release Date: August 1, 2008

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez, and Judge Reinhold

Director: Joshua Michael Stern