Get your vote out on Kevin Costner’s Swingvote, for his candid look at America—and for putting his money where his mouth is—in this case $20 mil of his own money producing this movie. Not only is this story fun to watch, the underlying messages are close to my heart. It touches lightly on two huge problems in our global community—abuse of women and children, and what I call Absentee Citizens.

People who spend their free time, or every waking moment, on some mind-numbing experience, are by definition serving their own interests. When it is sprinkled in with all the responsibilities of life, whatever one enjoys should be fine. In our country, we have the freedom to do pretty much whatever we want. To elaborate, we all continue to support the notion of freedom as our personal interpretation of what we can and can’t do. Many support these concepts with their own lives, in military or policing service. Many more support freedom by giving back to the community as their thank you for this freedom, our ultimate luxury.

It galls, when some people never give back even a few hours a week to the community, for anything, not even attending their children’s sports events to yell stupid stuff at opposing team supporters. Not being present in our community, not being aware of its needs or feeling the slightest bit of responsibility is absenteeism of the most astonishing sort. To spend an entire life, absent from family, absent from governance ‘of the people and by the people’, doing as little as possible for others, stretches credibility. And yet millions indulge in just that lifestyle. We are all addicts. Some of us have more socially acceptable addictions, such as the workaholic, or the TV sports enthusiast. Regardless, addictive behavior is intrusive when little else can break in, manifest positive action. Moderation in all things is an adage that turns out to benefit the community, as much today as it did ‘yesterday’.

Additionally, parents who are guilty of abuse, even benign neglect, extend absenteeism to an all out low point in behavior. Our country’s children that are raising themselves quite literally under our noses, are masters of poise and seemly-ness. Given their circumstances, it is amazing that they perform in such a competent manner. They make due, they attend school, and they do their best to have a good life, to prepare for their future. Excruciatingly aware of the inequity of their situation, compared to some of the other children with visible parents, they soldier on.

Lest I make this movie seem unpalatable, it isn’t. The subject matter is. The movie, Swingvote, however, manages to be a comedy, even a romantic comedy of sorts. The script must make broad strokes on the canvas of apathy, and cram a lot of Americana into its 100 short minutes. It actually communicates well on nearly every front it tackles. The slapstick and nonsense seldom seem over the top, which is sobering.

The nonsensical focus on a person, a critical vote, is a device of the story which is ‘explained’ loosely, if not plausibly. The filmmakers cover a lot of philosophical and political ground in one movie with this one stereotypical person, our political system and our society. Early in the film we all recognize this absentee citizen and parent. We all know to what levels our politics have degenerated. We all know, as a free society, which we are all accountable, as not voting or participating is the equivalent of voting badly. We all know the solutions are elusive, given our rights, our freedoms. Our self-determining mandate seeks ever-deeper for definition. The filmmakers of Swingvote, having briefly tackled these issues make an end run to allow some closure to these complex storylines.

Kevin Costner plays this singular person, Bud, a passed out drunk in a town small enough to know him and his daughter, Molly. Madeline Carroll carries this film, portraying a tough, determined young fifth-grader struggling to keep her father’s condition secret, earn an education, and keep house and home for the both of them. She calls her father Bud, ragging, prodding and yelling at him each morning to get up and get to work. That is his one contribution, a paycheck, which mostly goes to beer consumption and thereafter for rent, utilities, and even some basic groceries. Carroll’s heartwarming portrayal of Molly remains true to the script and yet brings to the character the spirit of a young person fighting for her future, her pursuit of the good life, in spite of her affection for her dysfunctional parent.

Costner’s Bud, wearing a Bass Pro Shop ball cap the entire movie, has about three costume changes and no need for a hair and makeup handler. Bud is an affable guy, everyone in town knows him, grew up with him. He is basically aware of his bad hygiene, deplorable behavior and overwhelming detachment—conveying the sense of accountability for his daughter as his entire motivation to participate, even as nominally as his does, in his life. There is no room beyond this basic existence of a factory job and evenings getting drunk at the tavern. He is so self-involved there is no ability to actually extend himself for his daughter and her needs, her activities, her aspirations beyond their home. It is his cumulative growth as the story progresses, his attempts to rise to the occasion for her sake that make Bud a character worth watching. As he moves through this surreal progression of events involving his Swingvote, the beer induced stupor becomes less and less useful to him. What makes watching to the end of this movie gratifying, is that he notices he can’t cope with these spiraling events if he drinks, so he begins to correct his behavior.

Madeline Carroll and Costner have great father-daughter chemistry. They are supported by a cast of recognizable favorites, actors who all bring professionalism to their quirky characters.  Dennis Hopper must play the next least palatable character. These actors turn out to act their parts about flawed, believable characters representing real people with which we all have at least a passing acquaintance. Paula Patton renders an up and coming journalist, Kate Madison, with just the right amount of ambitious hunger. Kelsey Grammar portrays the incumbent, President Andrew Boone, to perfection. Nathan Lane and Stanley Tucci turn in their usual high-grade performances, as flip sides of the same political coin. Judge Reinhold and George Lopez shine in their supporting roles. Mare Winningham walks away with the ‘best supporting’ characterization, jumping the comedic line in her brief scene as the tragically broken absentee mother so caught up in her addictions even she knows she should disappear.

Swingvote gets my vote for being an entertaining movie with more than a nod to hugely relevant topics.

Screened at RAVE, Town Square. Now a regular part of our movie-going experience at RAVE, we tried new flavors at Yogurtland, the frozen yogurt store with a twist—they charge by the ounce, as much or as little as you want. There is one long wall of a dozen or so self-serve, soft-serve machines with several flavors each. Sometimes twenty flavors await and your choice of thirty some odd toppings, including everything chocolate-y, as well as coconut, cookie dough, sprinkles, nuts and mounds of fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and more. For a delightful and inexpensive bowl of frozen yogurt and some fresh fruit—definitely stop in to ‘top off’ your outing.