This past week found me glued to the television two nights in a row for a
pair of long-anticipated events: the Inauguration of Barack Obama and
the season five premiere of LOST. A couple days later, I found myself watching a movie with relevance to both: Swing Vote, a feel-good satire about our nation's political process.
Okay, so it's mostly relevant to the ushering in of a new president, as
the whole movie is about an extraordinarily close presidential election
whose outcome is to be determined by a single man, an immature,
beer-swilling single dad in New Mexico named Bud Johnson (Kevin
Costner). The particulars of how this duty is bestowed upon him stretch
believability, but this is a movie designed to lampoon the circus that
is campaigning, so realism isn't a terribly important consideration.
There's enough truth within it to strike a chord with those weary of
the endless games politicians seem to play in hopes of winning that
coveted vote. In this film, the contenders are Republican incumbent
Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer), an ultra-conservative fellow who finds
common ground with Bud in such earthy activities as football and Nascar,
and Democratic hopeful Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper), who appeals to
Bud's love of fishing and his fondness for Willie Nelson. I appreciate
that writer-director Joshua Michael Stern depicts both candidates as
honorable and capable, albeit with very particular prejudices on certain
matters. With only one man to impress, both parties throw all of their
effort behind attempts to appease him, egged on by their unethical
advisors, played by a sibilant Stanley Tucci
and pushy Nathan Lane. Meanwhile, Bud becomes a media darling, an
instant celebrity on whom the hopes of the country are pinned.
The LOST
connection comes in the form of Madeline Carroll, the young actress who
plays Bud's daughter Molly. It only took me a moment to realize why I
recognized her; though her total onscreen time probably amounted to less
than fifteen minutes, she made a big impression on me as Annie,
childhood sweetheart of the perpetually perplexing Ben Linus, in season
three's The Man Behind the Curtain. I've been itching for the
return of her character on the show and expect it will happen at some
point, though not necessarily with Carroll in the role; hence, I was
pretty tickled to see her here.
Inevitably, I had to draw a few LOST
comparisons. We don't know much about Annie's parentage, other than
that she must have at least one parent who works for the Dharma
Initiative. But Molly's relationship with her father has parallels with
Ben's - not, happily, in his level of affection toward her, which is
undeniable, but in the way that she has to look after him, particularly
after he has been drinking. Bud is clueless but not abusive, but Molly's
best friend isn't so lucky, and the isolated children find solace in
each other, particularly during a swing set scene that reminds me not
only of Ben and Annie but also of a certain shadowy Hogwarts professor
and his long-lost love.
Molly really is the heart of the film,
a middle schooler with big ambitions who's tired of feeling as though
she is raising her dad instead of the other way around. At times, she's
an insufferable know-it-all, as only a clever preteen girl can be, but
for the most part, she is likable, and it's heartwarming to see how
Bud's awareness of the importance of his decision develops because of
his daughter. The movie is less snarky and more warm-hearted than I
expected, and the great cast helps make the outlandish situation easier
to swallow. With this last election still fresh in everyone's minds, Swing Vote is a funny and timely film.
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