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:142
Fresh:53
Rotten:89
Average Rating:5.1/10
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
Top CriticPeople like to make fun of Kevin Costner, and sometimes he deserves it. But when he gets his laid-back, rascally mojo going, he can become a most agreeable screen companion for a couple of hours
12/24/09
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
...a thoroughly affable piece of work that makes up in easy-going entertainment what it lacks in plausibility.
06/18/09
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02/27/09
Swing Vote suggests that a few hours of cramming is enough--our brief run-in with Palin confirms that it's not.
01/14/09
Goes for cheap laughs with its politics, but wins back at least some respect when it presents its central characters as real people and their issues as immune to instant cure.
01/06/09
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10/18/08
I's unclear how we're supposed to respond.
10/18/08
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10/18/08
It'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
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10/18/08
A film that never seems entirely sure of what it’s really about.
10/18/08
Costner does what he can with a role that is described as lovable, but I didn't find him so. Bud's a loser, nearly a bum, and even the expected turn-around didn't ring true for me.
10/18/08
Depictions of the spineless presidential hopefuls (Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper) and their campaign managers (Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane, respectively) offer standard-issue political satire.
10/18/08
Watchable, well acted satirical drama that starts well but quickly loses its bite and tails off into sentimentality and a cop-out ending.
09/26/08
The film varies between ironic cynicism about the political process and overt whimsy and sentimentality.
09/26/08
What starts out as a hokey satire on electioneering and spin becomes a hokey lesson on civic responsibility, with a catch in the throat and a tear in the eye. Try to suppress the curl in your lip.
09/26/08
Hayseed nonsense, folksily scripted. Whenever it becomes too much – or too little – close your eyes and think of Frank Capra.
09/26/08
While not without its charms, and aiming a well-placed dig at American voter apathy, the jokes don’t work, Costner looks hungover for real and the corn count is way, way too high, particularly during Bud’s big speech at the end.
09/26/08
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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