Remember the civics lessons about responsible citizenship and the essential importance of every single vote? All those references to history, highlighting that every citizen’s right to vote was actually the result of a long fight? The arguments that democracy represents the ruling of the people by the people and the only means of taking part in the process of decision-making is to choose those who represent you? The lazy voters are given the opportunity to revise all the civic preaches while entertaining with their kids in cinemas watching “Swing Vote,” a new Disney production that premieres this week-end.

As its title eloquently suggests, “Swing Vote” focuses on the power of every vote to alter the future of a nation. Choosing one or another to become the representative of the people is a decision that encompasses great responsibility and should be an informed choice. Of course, this idea is found mostly in textbooks than in real practice, however, it is still an ideal towards which we should tend.

The movie revolves around Bud (impeccably played by Kevin Costner) and Molly Johnson (2008’s great discovery, Madeline Carroll), father and daughter, completely different at a first look, but strongly linked by deep love and caring. Bud is a blue collar working in an egg factory who is almost always drunk. He is the perfect archetype of the average Joe, insensitive at political matters, on the verge of losing his job and the full custody of his 12-year old daughter. Molly, on the other hand, is a smart, sensible preteen who seems to be an adult trapped in the body of a child. Bud’s main quality is having her as his daughter; her credence that her father is a good, smart man remains unchanged despite every letdown he causes and her hope that he would change is un-shattered. One would wonder immediately why Bud has full custody of Molly; we find the answer in the movie: her mom was even worse than him.

Bud promises Molly to complete his civil duty on Election Day and to meet her at the polling place of their small town. But beer presents a greater attraction to Bud and he completely forgets to show up at the established meeting point. Based on a decision taken on the spur of the moment, Molly wants to exert his civil right and vote for him; a series of events that bears little credibility follow (but for the sake of the movie, let’s say we accept them) and it ends up that it was registered that Bud voted, but not whom he elected.

The race for the presidential seat drives the two competitors to Texico where they strive to persuade the person who has the unexpected power to make one of them the most important person at the White House, and that person is Bud. Republican incumbent Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer) and his Democratic competitor, Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper) and their campaign managers, played by Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane respectively, go to great lengths to convince Bud to give them his vote. Hence the ideological inconsistencies and far-fetched promises, everything it costs to give the elector what he wants to hear.

Given the fact that the movie premiers in such an important electoral year, “Swing Vote” could have been more precise; however, it was probably meant to depict the strong relationship between father and daughter and that love can bring out the best of people. Directed by Joshua Michael Stern and based on a script by Stern and Jason Richman, the movie bears some resemblance to the Capra-esque era (“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” or “Meet John Doe”), but still manages to keep its original tone.