In the midst of a movie season full of fiery special effects, burning action and smoldering superheroes and villains, “Swing Vote” comes as an oasis and proves to be quite pleasant and enjoyable. Although the plot may seem a bit far-fetched, it is quite original and may propose viewers an innovative perspective of imagining the nowadays society.

How many of us believe in individual power? Whatever the answer to the question is, the movie comes to highlight the fact that any of us may actually be “the one.”

“Swing Vote” portrays the life of Bud Johnson, played by a charismatic Kevin Costner, who lives in a small town in New Mexico together with his 12-year-old daughter, lacking the presence of a mother for Molly (Madeline Carroll).

Bud has a modest job and a simple life which he strives to simplify even more. Household chores are not among his daily activity list, so Molly has to handle everything on her own. However, she does a really good job in spite of her age and proves to be the more mature half of the duo.

Moreover, Bud’s duty list contains nothing more than drinking and almost totally ignoring his offspring. Luckily for him, the apple fell very far from the tree this time and persuades her father to go and vote for the next president. Due to a malfunction of the voting machine, Bud’s ballot was not tallied and, because the result of the election is tied, the selection of the new president will be entirely in the hands of the lazy and indolent character.

From now on, it’s easy to foresee what’s next. The political show will be unleashed and the two candidates, the current president, Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer), and his Democratic opponent, Donald Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper), will both do their best in order to win Bud’s vote.

Although some critics may consider the movie fails to achieve its goals, “Swing Vote” is not a disappointment at all. It actually has a very attention-grabbing idea that may in reality open our eyes in certain matters. It shouldn’t be taken too seriously either, but it may be a step into breaking down the well-known cliché: “It’s not up to me.”