Plot
Ernest "Bud" Johnson (Kevin Costner) is a heavy-drinking slacker who lives in a double-wide trailer in Texico, New Mexico. His wife, Larissa, left him and his precocious young daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll), to pursue an ill-fated singing career. Because Bud lacks ambition, he generally is late for work and is apolitical, deeming elections to be useless wastes of time. Because she frequently has to take care of him, Molly's relationship with her father is strained, and she only calls him "Bud". Unlike Bud, Molly is deeply interested in politics and urges him to vote in the presidential election, as she had registered him as an independent.
Bud reluctantly promises Molly that he will vote in the election, however he is fired from his job because of his poor work ethic and gets drunk at the bar instead, forgetting his promise to Molly. When he sees Molly being interviewed about the election by a local television journalist, Kate Madison (Paula Patton), Bud remembers and attempts to drive to the polling station. However, he passes out drunk in his pickup truck before he can leave the parking lot. Molly, angry and saddened, decides to secretly vote on his behalf. Before she can select a candidate, the voting machine malfunctions, leaving the ballot inside. Molly takes the stub and leaves to avoid getting caught, driving her father home. She tells Bud that she wants to live with her mother, and he says "me, too".
However, the election cannot be called for either candidate: the incumbent Republican, Andrew Carington Boone, and the opposing Democrat, Vermont Senator Donald Greenleaf. The election is too close to call, with the candidates in a tie in both the popular votes and electoral votes. The election is down to whoever wins New Mexico's five electoral votes, but the election in New Mexico cannot be called for either candidate because Bud's vote was not properly cast. Due to the critical nature of the election and because the state's votes have already been recounted, Bud is given no more than ten days to vote for either candidate, breaking the tie in the state's popular vote.
Boone's campaign manager, Martin Fox (Stanley Tucci), has never lost an election before and wants to keep his winning streak going. Meanwhile, Greenleaf's campaign manager, Art Crumb (Nathan Lane), has never won an election before and is determined to not lose yet another. Crumb orders his team to find out everything they can about Bud's interests, hoping to win him over to vote for Greenleaf. Fox does the same and sends his friend Richard Petty to drive Bud and Molly to Air Force One for a personal meeting with President Boone. On the way home from the meeting with Boone, Bud sees an ad from a friend of Greenleaf, Willie Nelson, a celebrity Bud greatly admires. The ad personally invites Bud to a lavish party thrown by Crumb and Greenleaf, designed specifically around Bud's interests. Greenleaf's campaign even arranged for one of Bud's old bandmates to be paroled so they could do another musical performance. Molly is sickened by the posturing on both sides, and
Kate, having been urged by her boss, John Sweeney (George Lopez), to get an exclusive interview with Bud. As a result of this interview, Bud's actual opinions (or lack thereof) are misinterpreted by the media, causing the candidates to flip-flop on several positions. Greenleaf's campaign starts making ads tailored specifically to Bud, taking an anti-abortion and anti-illegal immigration position. Meanwhile, Boone's campaign takes a pro-environmental and pro-gay marriage position. Greenleaf ignoring his principles to win results in his wife angrily leaving him, to which Crumb is unsympathetic. Both continue to pander to and flatter Bud shamelessly, but, gradually, the two candidates are shown to move away from the cynical tactics forced on them by their advisers. Boone ignores Fox's plan to offer Bud a lobbying job as a bribe and Greenleaf reconciles with his wife.
However, Bud only alienates Molly further by forgetting about "Bring Your Dad to Work Day" at Molly's school. Molly, tired of Bud's neglect, has a friend drive her to her mother's home so she can live with her instead. However, her mother, Larissa Star (Mare Winningham) is revealed to be addicted to prescription drugs and an unfit mother, who angrily lashes out at Molly for coming over when she doesn't want her there. Fortunately, Bud, having deduced where Molly would do because of their conversation previously, arrives and comforts the devastated Molly, who calls him "dad" for the first time. Bud takes Molly back to their home amid a flurry of journalists.
The experience serves as a wake-up call for Bud, who stops drinking and starts working diligently with Kate and Molly to seriously understand the issues of the election so he can make the right choice. Bud reads through his mail from the American public, urging him to vote for the issues that matter. The two candidates hold a debate with Bud serving as the moderator, asking questions from the letters he received. In a written speech, he confesses that he knows little-to-nothing about politics, or for that matter, life. Bud further states: "if America has a true enemy tonight, I guess it's me". The next morning, Bud finally casts his vote as Molly watches with a smile on her face, though for whom he voted is never revealed.
Reception
Critical response
The film received mostly negative reviews by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 38% based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite Kevin Costner providing his most charismatic performance in years, Swing Vote fails to find the right mix of political satire and heartfelt drama." [5] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [6] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [7]
Reaction from critics centered on Costner's performance. One characterized it as "unsentimental", but handled "with such ease and conviction" that it anchors the film. [8] Roger Ebert noted that in building the premise, "the movie makes a plucky stab at explaining how it comes to happen – and it almost sounds plausible." He gave it three stars, saying that a "mix of comedy and drama is winning; Costner couldn't be better, and the little girl is a find." [9] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also gave it favorable reviews. [10] Richard Roeper was quoted as saying, "Not a bad movie, probably OK to rent on DVD, but I'm saying don't rush to the theaters." [11] The Times of the UK ranked Swing Vote no. 14 on its list of the 100 Worst Films of 2008. [12]
Box office
The film grossed $16,289,867 domestically and $1,344,446 overseas totaling $17,634,313 worldwide. [1] On its opening weekend, the film grossed $6,230,669, placing it #6. [13]
After release, Dennis Hopper said that his role was significantly reduced. Hopper told the New York Daily News , "My [character's] subplot was completely cut. There's a scene we shot where I ditch all my events to go support a young Mexican waitress at the funeral of her grandfather. It was chopped. It was important to the development of my character, and it's missing." [14]
