Review: 'Swing Vote' is a movie with a message

I was not looking forward to seeing "Swing Vote" this weekend. Who wants to see a movie with Kevin Costner that doesn't have anything to do with baseball, dancing with wolves or a world made completely of water? Not me. So it was with an open mind that I sat down and watched "Swing Vote." I say this a lot, I know, but I really liked it. It turned out to be a movie with a message that every American needs to hear, especially with our presidential election coming up.

The message was simple. In our country, even though you may not think that it does, every vote counts. Let me say that again in case those of you in the back of the room didn't hear. EVERY. VOTE. COUNTS. Enter our main character, Bud Johnson, played by Kevin Costner. Bud, your average lazy, beer swilling, middle-aged father lives paycheck to paycheck. He cares about nothing more than where his next beer is going to come from or when he can afford to take another sick day from work so he can go fishing.

His daughter, played by newcomer Madeline Carroll, takes care of him and keeps him in check, reminding him about various appointments, like voting in the big election coming up. His vote doesn't get counted due to a computer error and this is when the story really takes off. Due to an extremely close race and some clever Hollywood scripting, Bud's vote becomes the decisive vote in the presidential election and he becomes a media sensation when a local reporter finds out about it.

All of a sudden the two candidates, the incumbent president, played by Kelsey Grammer, and his opponent, played by Dennis Hopper, are campaigning solely to Bud Johnson, their stance on certain issues shifting based solely on Bud's stance on the issues that he speaks about during various interviews given with the media. Each candidate finds themselves flip-flopping on the core issues of their party platforms just to appease their potential voter, to hilarious results.

"Swing Vote" may be the best movie that I've seen all year. Not counting a little film about a certain Dark Knight. It's funny, heartwarming, and it has a message. If you don't get out and see this film, at least get out and vote this November. Voting is free.