Don't Know Which Way to 'Swing'

by Brett Parker

Bud Johnson, the reluctant hero of Swing Vote, is an unintelligent man who seems incapable of any intellectual thought. The only two subjects he seems to care about are drinking and his 9-year-old-daughter (it says something that she has far more brains and character than he does). Through an astonishing dealing of the fates, Bud becomes the sole decider of who will become the very next President of the United States. It is his decision and his decision only. A situation like that would make even the simplest person ask complex questions about the choice at hand, yet so dimwitted is Bud that he never takes it seriously or shares any deep thoughts about what he’s thinking. His clueless nature is kind of annoying. The fact that the film acknowledges his idiocy and that Kevin Costner portrays him so convincingly makes spending an entire movie with Bud less maddening than it probably should be.

Bud is a lowlife alcoholic for reasons never fully highlighted. He lives in a trailer with his daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll), and works a dead-end job at an egg factory. Bud and Molly care greatly about each other yet are confused by each other’s ideals. Molly is frustrated with Bud’s drinking and laziness while Bud is baffled by Molly’s fascination with politics. Molly not only writes a college-worthy class presentation on the importance of voting but also wants Bud to show up at the polls on Election Day and exercise his civil right to vote. When the big day finally arrives, Bud gets fired from his job at the egg factory and goes on an all night bender, drinking himself into a coma. Frustrated and desperate, Molly decides to sneak into the polls herself and cast her father’s ballot without him. An electrical glitch causes an accident with the computerized poll and Bud’s vote is not officially counted.

As the votes are counted, something unbelievable happens: both of the presidential candidates are evenly tied for the election. The government discovers the mishap over Bud’s vote and, by law, he is allowed to re-cast it. Only this time, his single vote will ultimately send one of the candidates straight to the presidency. This is a seemingly dangerous situation, for Bud not only lacks any political thoughts but doesn’t even know who the candidates are. This causes current Republican President Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammar) and Democratic Nominee Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper) to invade Bud’s life and persuade him towards a decision, even if it means compromising their own values.

In the movie Rain Man, you kept feeling for the autistic Raymond character so much that you kind of wished he’d snap out of his condition and make all the other characters happier. I had a similar feeling for Bud during Swing Vote, yet there was more impatience and frustration this time. Its established right from the get go that Bud is lazy and moronic. Understood. Yet Bud is so lazy and stupid that he is constantly oblivious to the weight of his own situation. Here’s a guy who becomes swarmed by every media outlet on the planet, and it barely fazes him. Here’s a guy who is wined, dined, and lectured by two presidential candidates, and he has nothing of any importance to say to them. No questions, concerns, nothing. Bud’s nihilism is astonishing.

The problem is that Bud’s nature is never fully explained. Sure, he’s divorced, poor, and never caught a lucky break in life, yet so strange is his detachment that we chalk these up as minor excuses. We truly wonder just what the hell is going on in this guy’s head. I’ve heard arguments that Bud is meant to represent the political carelessness and unintelligible ideals of most American voters, yet any American with half-a-brain would do way more with this situation than Bud does. Perhaps if Bud was painted more as a sincere political bystander, like John Goodman in King Ralph, or even a justified neutral oaf, like Hugh Grant in About A Boy, then the filmmaker’s ideas would probably fly stronger.

Despite Bud being underwritten, the film is effective most of the time. In a time when moviegoers seem to be hung up on cynicism and realism, it’s nice to see a Capra-esque fantasy able to stand. The film finds a nice balance between heartfelt fantasy and realistic commentary. What is considerably missing is big laughs and thoughtful dialogue. It was hard for me to watch this film without thinking of Tin Cup, another movie in which Kevin Costner plays a slobbish loser who takes on a grand situation to please someone he cares about. That was a great film that knew how to use dialogue to unearth the humor of the situation and the passionate ideals of the characters. The film had an amusing wordplay in which characters would humorously bounce their thoughts and ideas off each other, highlighting their unique feelings and personalities. The characters in Swing Vote look colorful and interesting, yet we miss out on the kind of dialogue and humor that could really flesh them out and allow us to care about them more.

In recent years, it seems like Kevin Costner has become a whipping boy for bad acting and pretentious Hollywood vanity. I’ve always felt that Costner is no different than any other movie star, he has his hits and he has his misses. He displayed true talent in The Untouchables, Bull Durham, and The Upside of Anger while he proved to be hopeless in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Postman, and For Love of the Game. He seems more at home playing down-to-earth everymen as opposed to outsized romantic heroes. Despite the character flaws, Costner completely inhabits the role of Bud and is convincing more so than usual. There’s no winking or higher knowing outside of the character; Costner nails every groan, tick, and hangover. Bud may be a shaky character, but it’s no fault of Costner’s. Even as Bud delivers a heartfelt speech towards the end that holds more depth and ideals than he’s had for the entire movie, we buy it and it damn near redeems the shaky script.

I was really back and forth on whether of not to recommend Swing Vote. I clearly had issues with it. However, I had a strange admiration for the performances (especially Costner’s) and the film’s overall messages. In these disillusioning times, it’s nice to see a film promote standing up for what’s right and searching for political integrity in these crazy times. The film doesn’t insult the intelligence of political braniacs nor does it condescend simple-minded moviegoers. It’s more plausible and observant than its premise would allow you to think. Plus, I found true hope in the film’s final thought: if a human mess like Bud Johnson can stand up and make a change, there’s no telling what the rest of the American voters can do!