Review: Costner Makes 'Swing Vote' Count

'Swing Vote' (PG-13) (out of four).

Definitely poised to be a conversation starter, "Swing Vote" addresses the current political climate in a clever way. If only the upcoming election could be decided so easily.

Kevin Costner excels at playing down-on-his luck types. As Bud Johnson, a beer-drinking slob (hence the nickname Bud) who sleeps in his clothes and works in an egg factory, Costner takes slovenly to new heights. He's a single dad with a precocious 12-year-old daughter, Molly (newcomer Madeline Carroll) whose disappointment in her father's lifestyle is only heightened by his constant irresponsibility.

On the morning of the presidential election, Molly urges her father not to forget to vote. Molly lectures him by speaking in textbook terms about his civic responsibility. He promises to meet her at the town's bingo hall that has been turned into Texico, N.M.'s, prominent polling place.

Early on, the story is already predictable. Of course, Bud spends time at the local bar and forgets he's to meet the girl until he sees her on television giving a speech on the local news about the importance of voting.

Drunken and disheveled, Bud tries to make his way to the polls, but never makes it there. As the polling place is ready to close and the veteran who is supposed to be minding the store sleeps, Molly decides to cast his vote.

After a voting machine misstep (not too far-fetched from real life), all the attention turns to that one vote as the race for president of the United States becomes too close to call. The decision will come down to Bud.

In this day and age of 24-hour news channels and media madness, many of the laughs come from the ridiculousness of newshounds who descend on the tiny town and the feeding frenzy that ensues. A news director at a local television station (comically played to the hilt by George Lopez) sums it up best when he tells a reporter, "This isn't journalism, it's television."

Reminiscent of "The Truman Show," every move Johnson makes is camera ready. There's even a Bud Cam.

Meanwhile, the campaign managers of both contenders' camps have aspirations of their own. Stanley Tucci plays the Republican sideman who has never lost an election while the Democrat, played by Nathan Lane (calmer than his usual portrayals), has never won an election.

Each man advises his candidate to woo Bud to get his vote. "That's what we do. We court voters. It's what we do. It's what we always do," campaign manager Martin Fox (Tucci) tells the president, who is up for re-election.

Kelsey Grammer as President Andy Boone and Dennis Hopper as the Democratic hopeful Donald Greenleaf bring believability to the sometimes far-fetched film as both sides woo the regular guy who has now become the centerpiece that can change both of their lives.

The biggest laughs come from satirical political commercials where the candidates flip flop on issues due to sound bites from Bud with his less than intelligent views of gay marriage and pro-life. The comic drama avoids the tough stuff like Iraq. It also seems a bit out of touch with current affairs by its choice of two WASPy men vying for title of Commander In Chief.

Cameo appearances during fake television coverage of the whole fiasco by heavyweights Larry King, Tucker Carlson, Chris Matthews, Mary Hart and Arianna Huffington add to the satire of just how ridiculous saturated media coverage has become.

A brief and particularly melodramatic moment with Mare Winningham as Molly's loser mother turns the movie into a Lifetime television drama. And the subplot of a hungry television reporter (Paula Patton) who wants to break the story to make it to the networks plays thin.

The movie tidies itself up in a nice little package as Johnson cleans up his act after playing out his 15 minutes of fame, and it won't be difficult to guess how it all works out.

Bud may be a slacker, but Costner works hard in this film. Perhaps he feels the burden on his shoulders for the movie to grab some green at the box office since he financed the film himself for more than $20 million. By the way, when you put that much money into a movie if you want to devote a few minutes to hauling out your band for a song, who is going to say you can't? Costner puts himself in the spotlight to promote his band Modern West.

The movie's "Get Out the Vote" message is sometimes heavy-handed, but in a political year filled with confusion and fickleness, it just might be what the voting public needs.