An Everyman Strives to Make the Country - and Himself - Better in Swing Vote

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.

Hunt for a Better Movie

Part Home Alone and part Henry's Awful Mistake, Mouse Hunt is the chaotic tale of a pair of estranged brothers united in the effort to sell their recently deceased father's antique mansion. Ernie Smuntz (Nathan Lane) is a chef who has just lost his job because of an unfortunate (and thoroughly disgusting) incident involving the mayor and a dinner which includes a roach as an uninvited ingredient. Obnoxious and manipulative, he only seems concerned with milking the most out of his father's inheritance.

Lars Smuntz (Lee Evans) is a pitiable fellow who shares his father's love of string and is determined to do what his father would want him to. He is the gentler of the pair, initially more reluctant to cause physical harm to the four-legged houseguest who will soon make the brothers' lives miserable. Recently separated from his money-loving and heartless wife, Lars joins Ernie in moving into the creepy old mansion his father left them. It seems to be a dusty old dump until a set of blueprints reveals that it was designed by a world-famous architect. Soon they are busy preparing for the grand unveiling of the house and concern themselves with getting it in perfect condition for the auction.

Their attention is soon diverted, however, when they discover a mouse in their house. For some reason, they decide to focus all of their efforts on disposing of this uninvited houseguest, taking ridiculous measures and destroying the house in the process. Not only is the mouse tiny, he's crafty and manages to beat the brothers at their game every time. Minutes after the first meeting with the mouse, I could see this was going to be a very long movie. I found myself groaning over and over again, wondering how these two could possibly be so stupid. Just leave the mouse alone, already! What the heck is the big deal?

A monster cat and a psychotic exterminator (Christopher Walken) fail to foil the mouse's determination to survive, and each plot turns out more disastrous than the last. The mouse has no great hatred against the brothers; all of the damage he causes them is an unavoidable side effect of his attempts at survival. In the end he wins, and the brothers, after losing their house to their furry nemesis, finally learn to combine their talents to create a business that both of them can enjoy. Who shows them the way? Why, the mouse, of course. And in the end, they're all the best of friends.

The slapstick is overwhelming in this movie; it's just about all there is. And while a couple of pratfalls are good for a laugh, an hour and a half of them gave me a monster headache. It was much too far-fetched to be funny for long, and much too painful. None of the characters was especially likable, with the possible exception of the mouse, but few were despicable. They were just sorta there, and their personalities were inconsistent throughout the film. "Since you are lukewarm I shall spit you out of my mouth..." That's what I suggest you do with this movie.