It's a predictable, feel-good fantasy in the mould of a political satire and the result is a good one.
Comment
03/05/09
Swing Vote (2008)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:52
Rotten:89
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Despite Kevin Costner providing his most charismatic performance in years, Swing Vote fails to find the right mix of political satire and heartfelt drama.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $16,229,781
Synopsis: Writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (NEVERWAS) tackles American politics in his second feature film. Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is just your below-average Joe. He works in an egg factory, likes... [More]
Starring: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Reviews for Swing Vote
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticHayseed nonsense, folksily scripted. Whenever it becomes too much – or too little – close your eyes and think of Frank Capra.
09/26/08
Unlikely premise, yet script offers dialogue, heart-tugs, actual intelligent thought and a fair and necessary reflection on the State elections in the Union. A pleasant film.
08/11/08
It's a clever idea for a lampoon and the movie has some fun with it, especially in the scenes that show us how willing and eager the candidates are to shade or reverse their positions on ANY issue at the slightest hint it might please [Bud].
08/01/08
As often happens with politics, even as Swing Vote entertains, it leaves us feeling like we've been subjected to some slick manipulation and worse, left with promises unfulfilled.
08/01/08
Swing Vote may muster a few easy laughs, but the film is no contender.
07/30/08
If your perfect weekend is Nascar and country music, with barely any political discussion, then this is your cup of tea ... I mean bottle of beer.
08/27/08
A rocky start aside, this blend of timely political satire and father/daughter heart warmer offers enough truth about media manipulation and voter pandering to win over an undemanding audience.
08/11/08
Swing Vote is more subtle and insightful than the dumbed-down comedy the marketing campaign would have us believe it to be.
07/30/08
One of the most idiotic movies about the American political process ever made.
08/03/08
Swing Vote has a sharp, clever script, grown-up laughs and a background filled with skilled funny men -- Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer and George Lopez.
08/01/08
Goofball Bud Johnson is such a funny, undemanding guy and his daughter such a pre-teen chip of gold, whatever ticket they're running on... I swing their way.
08/04/08
If Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog serves as the gold standard for political satire, then Swing Vote has got a bad case of fleas.
08/03/08
Swing Vote isn't inspirational as much as it's simply afraid to take a stand on anything.
08/01/08
A mediocre Hollywood movie with a trite message about civic responsibility.
07/31/08
Swing Vote seems to be suggesting that the voter deserves a better class of candidate; allow me to suggest that the viewer deserves a better class of film.
08/30/09
Would be innocuous if it weren't so utterly, utterly misguided...a black comedy that doesn't know it's a black comedy.
08/01/08
This is one film that Larry the Cable Guy could have improved in the leading role.
08/03/08
Graced with a gently cynical spirit and more brains than its average-Joe protagonist, Swing Vote applies a pleasing Frank Capra-esque glaze to the fanciful story of a blue-collar American whose vote ends up being the only one that counts.
07/29/08
Top CriticIt's a sentiment Capra might well have echoed, though he would surely have punched up the gags while he was at it.
10/18/08
Latest News for Swing Vote
January 13, 2009:
With Costner's yokel having a decided preference for being handed a beer rather than a ballot, he does a pretty darn good job of exposing the phony platitudes and pandering of candidates, in a movie about bad news politicians and even badder parenting. 
More...
January 09, 2009:
With Costner's yokel having a decided preference for being handed a beer rather than a ballot, he does a pretty darn good job of exposing the phony platitudes and pandering of candidates, in a movie about bad news politicians and even badder parenting.
More...
August 18, 2008:
Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer Sued for Cribbing Swing Vote Script
Former Bush assistant and political pundit Bradley A. Blakeman claims the political comedy, in theaters now, was lifted from a script he spent eight years writing. More...
August 03, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Bat Still Going Strong, Three Weeks In
The Dark Knight won't losen its grip on the box office gold, but the Mummy is a very close silver. More...
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