A Parable for American Voters

I mentioned earlier in the week that we went to see the Kevin Costner film, Swing Vote earlier in the week. In the film Costner plays a classic country drunk who, through a twist of fate has become THE swing vote in a presidential election. The candidates- Republican incumbent Kelsey Grammer and Democrat challenger Dennis Hopper- begin a campaign to win the one vote. Nathan Lane is the never-having-won manager for Hopper's candidate who badly wants to win. Stanley Tucci is Grammer's never-having-lost manager. Then there is Costner's daughter who is a one-person civics lesson.

It is actually a good movie in spite of its poor 40% Rotten Tomatoes score. Reviewers wanted substance. They wanted a hard-hitting issues film. They called it "idiotic" about the electoral process. They saw it as a "red-necked" or NASCAR film. In my humble opinion they missed the boat.

It isn't about issues. It IS about the electoral process that panders to what voters want and a news media that turns it all into a circus. Yes, at times it is too cute by a number of degrees.

One thing I will agree with the critics on: the incredible number of ad placements throughout the movie, perhaps even Costner's character's nickname "Bud" who drinks- endlessly it seems- yep- Budweiser. I even caught a quick almost subliminal ad placement for my favorite- Johnsonville brats. It was one long product-placement commercial.