A political satire gone haywire

As political comedies go, Swing Vote doesn't dig very deep into the American political scene, and it certainly mines few laughs along the way. Cast more as a middle-aged redemption tale about a loser dad, this comedy starring Kevin Costner paints a sour portrait of nearly all its characters, so much so that even the final-reel redemption rings hollow and forced. The film features stellar actors such as Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, and Nathan Lane but none of which save Swing Vote from its impending doom. Taking its cue from the 2000 presidential election, where the presidency came down to a few precincts in Florida, Swing Vote imagines a close presidential contest narrowing down to a miscast ballot by one man in New Mexico. That man is Costner's Bud Johnson. Election laws allow him to recast his ballot in 10 days, thus giving both presidential candidates and the media a chance to fly into town for the spectacle of the two politicos pitching an entirely new campaign to one man. Only his 12-year-old daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll), knows that Bud got drunk and never showed up at the polling station. Naturally, the Republican president (Grammer) and his Democratic challenger (Hopper) and their cynical aides (Tucci and Lane, respectively) – each feeling superior to their bewildered bosses – trip over one another to court this single voter. None of this is funny as the filmmakers seem to think, but more disturbing is the nastiness that pervades the tale: The politicians are sellouts; the father is a drunk; journalists are carnivores. Perhaps director Joshua Michael Stern had a noble plot once, but he has unwittingly made Swing Vote a great setup for an oligarchy. Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here .