★ 10 / 10
Rated 10/10, for the witty, original idea. Swing
AlfaVitaY2K
Rated 10/10, for the witty, original idea. Swing Vote (2008) is a relic from a more innocent time. Kevin Costner plays a boozy slacker whose single vote…
Rated 10/10, for the witty, original idea.
Swing Vote (2008) is a relic from a more innocent time.
Kevin Costner plays a boozy slacker whose single vote somehow decides the victory of the presidential candidate of his choice. Both candidates and their sleazy handlers try to prey on him, pandering on every issue, desperate for money and power, depending on his vote.
Back then, this was considered sharp political satire, exposing basic human vices like greed, hypocrisy, ideological and moral flip-flopping, fueling ambition for money and power.
By modern standards it feels naive. The latest scandals exposed that the real corruption isn't just about bribery and ambition, it's Satanist degenerate pervert elites running pedo sex slavery rings, ritual abuse and murder, and blackmailed politicians treating the citizens and the country like disposable cattle in a private owned barn.
★ 7 / 10
A very decent movie, a step above fine
Clara B
A very decent movie, a step above fine and strongly in the "good" category. Kevin Costner is a great actor who manages to balance endearing, likeable, and a…
A very decent movie, a step above fine and strongly in the "good" category. Kevin Costner is a great actor who manages to balance endearing, likeable, and a total loser. The young girl who plays his daughter gives a surprising great performance as well, showing more range than most child actors could. The duo has great chemistry, his cluelessness and her precocious assuredness helps make the father-daughter duo feel more like a team than a dad with a kid, which helps round both of their characters.
While the movie focuses primarily on the dad and daughter, there are other characters who are certainly present, though none of them feel as big as the main leads. The presidential candidates face internal struggles, but neither feels fully baked; their campaign managers even less so--while Stanley Tucci gives a great performance as a soulless political operative, Nathan Lane is far more successful in portraying an actual character. The reporter, played by Paula Patton, feels like she was being built to have more of an arc in the story, but the movie feels like it kind of forgot about her.
The premise of the story is very entertaining, an absurd situation where one man's vote somehow decides the fate of the United States, which helps emphasise the message that every vote matters. Costner, who acts blissfully unaware of the weight he carries on his shoulders, does a good job of allowing the movie to weigh the debate between issues through the simplistic view of an uninformed swing voter. The movie doesn't offend either side, as it argues merits for both positions, letting the movie keep the appeal to centrist decorum typical of the decade. This also makes each candidate flip-flopping their positions in a desperate appeal to win him over amusing--the Republican candidate becoming an environmentalist, and the Democratic candidate becoming pro-life based on his blundering attempts to sound informed; of course, the candidates' managers desperately pull for any shred of advantage they can muster, making them go all-in on impressing a man who could not care less.
Watching it does make the audience beg the movie to finish the plot lines it set-up without pay-off. Every other character gets a tease of a bigger arc, and none pays off besides the lead duo.
Basically, don't expect too much of it. You watch the movie for Costner and Carroll's excellent performances, and a very entertaining premise.
★ 10 / 10
Costner was magnificent. Many chuckles. Watched this to
007tribefan B
Costner was magnificent. Many chuckles. Watched this to reduce my anxiety of REAL elections. Exposed the nasty business of politics. WHY DO WE ELECT FRAUDS??
Costner was magnificent. Many chuckles. Watched this to reduce my anxiety of REAL elections. Exposed the nasty business of politics. WHY DO WE ELECT FRAUDS??
38%
TOMATOMETER
· 149 reviews
42%
AUDIENCE
· 50K ratings
6.1/10
20.3K
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Not that Funny but really interesting. What if ithis would really happen in the future?