Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie Review

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Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 21, 2016

Note: 'Swing Vote' was previously released on Blu-ray in 2009 by Disney. Mill Creek's 2016 reissue, timed to coincide with the build-up towards the U.S. Presidential election in November, leaves behind many of the key features found on Disney's release, including bonus content and lossless audio.

Mark Twain once said, "if voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it." Seems Twain may have been ahead of his time on that one. It also seems Twain never saw Swing Vote, an affable 2008 Comedy starring Kevin Costner who plays a man who, by his single vote, wields the power to choose the next President of the United States. He's courted, razzled, dazzled, and shown the best and worst that the political system has to offer along the way. The movie lacks the sort of insightful social commentary it only teases, favoring the comedy engendered by its fantastical scenario instead. Still, it's a pleasant diversion and a fun movie that political junkies should enjoy and, at some level, feels all to possible a scenario in an increasingly divided nation.

We're famous.

Everyman Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) grinds out a living in Texico, New Mexico, with his daughter, Mollie (Madeline Carroll), who continually eggs him on to be a better man and father. With the latest Presidential election drawing closer, she urges him to be more than a "conscientious objector," to take part in the political process, and exercise his right to vote. When Bud stumbles out of his favorite tavern and accidentally knocks himself out on election night, he fails to meet his daughter at the local bingo hall, which on this night doubles as the town's polling place. Mollie sneaks in and attempts to cast a vote for her father, but when the voting machine loses power in the middle of the process, she returns home, believing the vote was not registered. It turns out that the election is the closest in history, and the state of New Mexico remains the only one with undeclared electoral votes. The state finds itself in a virtual tie between incumbent Republican President Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer) and Democrat challenger Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper), and it is discovered that Bud's was the only vote not officially tallied. He is forced to take an oath to re-cast his ballot in 10 days time. When his identity is revealed by ambitious local reporter Kate Madison (Paula Patton), Bud's life becomes the center of a media frenzy. He finds himself personally courted by both candidates, each of whom abandons their political platforms and, eventually, personal ethics to swing Bud's vote their way. Who will Bud choose, what will he learn about the political process, and most importantly, about himself as the decision that could alter the course of history lies solely in his hands?

Swing Vote enjoys excellent performances that, while largely built around simple caricatures, capture a satisfying spirit of both common man authenticity on one side and the phony political veneer on the other. Every main cast member is terrific, particularly the movie's unsung heroes, the dueling campaign managers played by Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane. Costner nails his part, capturing that everyman spirit and the believable front that he's truly an apathetic, apolitical grinder who neither understands the system nor cares to be involved in it. Madeline Carroll, who plays his politically and socially savvy daughter, is a terrific companion for him and, at the same time, foil. Her grasp of adult concepts and capability in delivering insightful dialogue is first-class. The movie's premise is certainly more than a little far-fetched and convenient -- even considering the sharp 50-50 political divide that seems to exist today -- but it has a lot of fun with a fantasy topic and one that might be interesting to see remade not to tell the same story but to instead examine it from several different angles and with people of different social and economic backgrounds at the center of the "one person decides the election" narrative.

For more thoughts on the film, please see the Blu-ray.com review of the original release.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Swing Vote's 1080p transfer, courtesy of Mill Creek, differs from Disney's 2009 Blu-ray release. The movie now presents on a BD-25 disc and clocks in at a lower average bitrate. The result is a satisfactory, but hardly eye-catching, presentation of a movie that's often very cheery and colorful but that plays with an almost dreamlike-bright contrast. Brighter exteriors often border on appearing washed out, but more evenly lit interiors, such as those seen in the White House, reveal a more balanced color palette and neutral shades of the most prominent reds and golds. Detailing is fine but hardly revelatory. Fabric details are a general highlight, with good definition to be found on well worn jeans, a ratty ball cap, and other objects. Skin textures push a little flat and pasty. Finer background textures in Bud's trailer -- worn paint, accumulated grime -- fail to really capture a seriously tactile appearance. Black levels are suitably deep. The grain structure appears aggressively sharp.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The previous Disney Blu-ray release of Swing Vote contained a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Mill Creek's 2016 release fails to offer that same multichannel experience, replacing it with a bottom-rung Dolby Digital 2.0 presentation. Likewise, all subtitle options have been scrubbed from this release. Under the care of the 2.0 track, music struggles to find and maintain definition. It ranges from muddled, mushy, and pushed together in the center to a little more robust and with obvious creep back towards its sources on the sides. Supportive ambience, like mild din at the egg packaging plant, comes across as garbled mush that interferes with dialogue. Fortunately, the spoken word otherwise comes through well enough with a "phantom center" placement and is the primary element at play throughout.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Swing Vote contains no bonus content. There is no "pop-up" menu, and the "top menu" offers only a "play movie" option. Missing from this release, and found on the 2009 Disney presentation, are a commentary track, deleted scenes with commentary, a featurette, and a music video.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Swing Vote makes for an easy and agreeable watch. The movie works well enough within its premise, the cast is great, and the movie is entertaining from start to finish. There's also plenty of opportunity to expand on it, to alter it, to tell the same story from different perspectives. Maybe that's just the political junkie in this reviewer talking, but the core idea is too much fun to leave alone as a one-off. DTV sequel, anyone? Mill Creek's Blu-ray release is in no way an improvement over the original Disney presentation, which offers higher bitrate video, 5.1 lossless audio, and several extras. Search out a copy of the first Disney release, if available at a similar price to this otherwise barebones effort.