'Swing Vote' flip-flops on fun

By CHRISTY LEMIRE

AP Movie Critic

"Swing Vote" is guilty of being the same thing that so many political candidates accuse each other of being: a flip-flopper.

The story of a presidential election that hinges on the vote of one guy does have its moments of hilarity. It works best when the two contenders are one-upping each other, contradicting themselves and their parties in saying whatever it takes to win over this one average Joe. Mixed signals make the Republican proclaim his rainbow flag-waving support for gay marriage; meanwhile, the Democrat finds himself opposing abortion in a truly twisted TV ad.

But by the end, it turns painfully serious -- and it takes itself too seriously -- with swelling music and heavy-handed preaching to drive home some pretty obvious points.

Kevin Costner produces and stars as Bud Johnson, a scruffy single dad who just got fired and is too drunk to remember to vote. His 12-year-old daughter, Molly (the tremendously poised Madeline Carroll), is wise beyond her years and keeps things functioning at the family trailer in dusty Texico, N.M. It's "Paper Moon" all over again -- or at least it's trying to be.

Molly also tries to cast her father's vote for president, but because of a machine malfunction, it doesn't count. With a nod to Florida in 2000, the election is so tight, Bud's vote becomes the one that will decide the presidency. This turns him into an instant celebrity -- and sets up some amusing satire of the insatiable 24-hour news cycle. (Larry King, Arianna Huffington, Bill Maher and James Carville are among the pundits who show up in cameos.)

Kelsey Grammer co-stars as the Republican incumbent, Andrew Boone, with Stanley Tucci as the slick, ruthless mastermind behind his campaign. Meanwhile, Dennis Hopper is an inspired choice to play the Democratic challenger, with Nathan Lane as his campaign manager, a guy who's desperate to win after a career of losing.

Despite the movie's obvious leanings to the left, director Joshua Michael Stern and co-writer Jason Richman deserve some credit for making the Republican president a decent, sympathetic figure and not a total buffoon. Grammer's character is out of touch but well-intentioned, though some glimmers of his diabolical Sideshow Bob voice from "The Simpsons" do peek through now and again.

"I'm just an ordinary man -- the kind of guy you could sit down and have a beer with," President Boone insists to Bud while wooing him on Air Force One. On the other side, Hopper's limousine liberal, Donald Greenleaf, sips red wine at a hoe-down thrown in Bud's honor and pretends to share his enthusiasm for fishing.

If nothing else, "Swing Vote" is equal opportunity in its skewering.

But it also glosses over some important issues -- lack of adequate health care, illegal immigration, the plight of the working poor -- in quick and treacly fashion. And a third-act appearance by Molly's druggy, absent mom (Mare Winningham) comes out of nowhere and really tweaks the film's tone.

Costner, meanwhile, is essentially the same guy he's made a career of playing. He's a rumpled, selfish, washed-up former athlete (this time, the sport is football), but you know a kind heart will emerge eventually.

It seems fitting that before he got fired, Bud worked as an inspector at an egg factory. He's got a yolky, gooey center, too.

"Swing Vote," a Touchstone Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for language. Running time: 120 minutes. Two stars out of four.