The Center for American Progress held an advance screening of Kevin Costner’s new movie, Swing Vote [self-playing Flash], in downtown DC last night (oh, yeah … we’ve been staying with Kelly’s parents this week). Kevin Costner himself and the star of the movie, Madeline Carroll, were at the screening and made some comments before the movie.
Swing Vote is a comedy about a guy, Bud Johnson, whose loser life is turned on its head when he becomes the tie-breaking vote in the presidential election. I thought this movie might become your typical, forgettable bubble-gum civics lesson but it had enough twists and turns and laugh-out-loud moments that it quickly won me over. Oh, and it takes equal shots at liberal and conservative sides.
The acting was good, too. Costner plays against stereotype and put on a believable, likeable loser. The movie is really held together, though, by the acting of Madeline Carroll, who plays Bud’s precocious daughter, Molly. If she wasn’t such a good actress none of this would’ve been remotely believable. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her.
There were other performances by Paula Patton, Judge Reinhold, Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer, and plenty of cameos like Willie Nelson, and Richard Petty, for starters. All in all, Swing Vote is a wonderful ride that may even teach you something in this election year. If it doesn’t, though, you’ll enjoy it anyway.