Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie Review

Joe Six Pack goes to Washington.

Reviewed by Ben Williams January 28, 2009

Hollywood has a long history of producing politically-inspired films. Time honored classics like Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove have stood along side more contemporary fare such as Oliver Stone's JFK, W. and Nixon as shining examples of Hollywood's willingness to make political statements regardless of the current political climate. Swing Vote is a film that differs from this esteemed group by refusing to take a side on any particular issue. Can a film about politics find an effective voice without taking a side, or is this even a film about politics in the first place?

Would you trust the fate of your country to this man?

Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is the very definition of a middle-aged loser. He's the kind of guy who drinks on the job, lives in a pig-sty of a home, bosses around his daughter and generally spends his time laying around doing nothing. Bud's laziness rises to epic proportions one election day when he ends up too drunk to show up to vote; breaking a promise to his politically-minded twelve-year-old daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll). As luck would have it, a series of mix-ups at the polling place ends up putting Bud at center stage in a heated election. Bud holds the deciding vote for the Presidential election and the two candidates, incumbent President Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer) and Democrat challenger Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper), will spare no expense to court his vote.

There's a lot to like about Swing Vote. Kevin Costner turns in a great performance where he manages to make Bud, a character who, in reality, would probably have been thrown in jail for child endangerment, into a lovable guy worth rooting for. In the hands of a lesser actor, Bud would have simply been yet another apathetic loser that failed to inspire. Costner's performance is aided by a stellar cast, not the least of which being Madeline Carroll; a child actor who rises above kiddie role cliches and manages to turn in a sympathetic and believable performance. Dennis Hopper and Kelsey Grammer both shine as warring political adversaries while Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane chew up the screen as campaign aides with a flair for the dramatic.

The trouble with Swing Vote is that the film struggles to find a real identity. On one hand, it attempts to skewer politicians in a topical yet non-partisan way. On the other, it's a family movie about a strong and loving father / daughter relationship. The fact that many of the film's plot leaps are completely ludicrous is really secondary to the problems created by the film's uneven tone and approach. Just when one thinks the father / daughter elements are coming into focus, the movie moves back into politics - - and vice versa. Swing Vote is, at its core, a sweet movie about a screwed up guy who recognizes the importance of his civic duties as a side-effect of trying not to embarrass his daughter. After all, if there's one thing in Bud's life that he actually gives a damn about, it's Molly.

Despite its problems, I found Swing Vote to be both endearing and genuinely entertaining. It's sincere in its premise and isn't interested in skewering political parties or ideologies. No matter what side of the aisle you support, Swing Vote is bound to be entertaining for the entire family.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The fact that Swing Vote has been presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded in full 1080p using the AVC Mpeg-4 codec and released by Disney, one would expect this to be one slick looking Blu-ray. Unfortunately, that's simply not the case. While there's nothing technically wrong with this Blu-ray release, this drab looking film never even begins to approach eye-candy status. Swing Vote just wasn't filmed to be a particularly eye-catching movie. The film's color palette is bland and boring and only a handful of scenes feature vibrant colors. Contrast is average, but effective and detail is - - well -- average.

Ultimately, I can't fault the transfer for any of this, of course, as Swing Vote looks precisely how it is supposed to look. Swing Vote scores a zero in the style category, but this Blu-ray edition reproduces that lack of flair nearly flawlessly.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Since Swing Vote is a film that celebrates the responsibilities and patriotism of an average American citizen, it should come as no surprise that the movie's audio is, much like its video, as average and unpretentious as can be. The film's 5.1 DTS HD-Master Audio soundtrack does a fine job of reproducing material that is decidedly bland. Dialogue is accurately portrayed and forms the backbone of this front biased soundtrack. Music is nicely balanced in the front channels while subwoofer usage is infrequent yet effective when present. Surround activity is practically non-existant, save the occasional flourish of crowd noise.

Swing Vote isn't going to win any awards for its sound design, but you can rest assured that this Blu-ray edition presents the movie precisely as it was intended to be heard.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Here's what's included:

- Audio Commentary with Writer / Director Joshua Michael Stern and co-writer Jason Richman
- "Inside the Campaign: The Politics of Production"
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary
- "Hey Man, What About You?" Music Video with Kevin Costner's band Modern West

The special features included with Swing Vote are hardly destined to win any awards. The now obligatory audio commentary is the set's most meaningful extra. Writer / Director Joshua Michael Stern and his co-writer Jason Richman offer their opinions on today's political climate while detailing the film's production. "Inside the Campaign: The Politics of Production" provides viewers with a lightweight fluff piece on the film while the four included deleted scenes, with commentary from Stern and Richman, offer little value to the package. Lastly, a music video for Kevin Costner's band, Modern West, performing the song "Hey Man, What About You" is included. I had no idea that Mr. Costner fancied himself a musician, so this extra was, at the very least, interesting.

Swing Vote Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Swing Vote is a sweet-natured, family friendly and well meaning movie. While many may have been turned off by its focus on politics, it's a non-partisan exercise in skewering the entire political system rather than a specific party. Swing Vote also manages to be a surprisingly effective family movie that doesn't shy away from heartwarming moments. Disney has given this Blu-ray release a nice, if unspectacular, video transfer and an average yet accurate audio track. Supplementary features are noticeably lacking and don't provide more than a cursory view behind the scenes of the production. As it stands, Swing Vote should prove to be satisfying entertainment for the whole family.