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Rated PG-13 for language
Reviewed by Karl Scott

Although this film has a BIG NAME cast of stars, the show stealing real star is 12 year old Madeline Carroll.  The credits say “Introducing” MC but she has at least a dozen other films and TV shows in her credit list and lots of commercials.  She is an Abigail Breslin look and act-a-like.  She is also the only one that appears to understand what is going on and acts in an ethical manner.  

 

The story concerns a presidential election that ends in a dead tie in the electoral count except for the 5 New Mexico votes.  It comes down to a single county and eventually to a single vote by Kevin Costner which the voting machine mishandled.  This means the entire presidential election is up to him.  

 

He is a bum and the only thing he has going for him is his daughter, played by MC. He is lazy, not a fit dad and loses his job.  He shaves and combs his hair once a year, if that.  He consumes half of Budweiser’s annual output.  

 

He has 10 days to make up his mind and pick the leader of the free world.  Hulk Hogan, his first choice, is not on the ballot. Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper are the presidential rivals with KG as the incumbent.  Their assistants are played well by Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane.  Lots of real life cameos are inserted to add reality to the storyline.  A frantic last minute campaign goes into hyper drive with the press, the President and the challenger all showing up in Texico, N. Mexico for the showdown.

 

Billed as a comedy there are not many laughs to be had.  Comedy is mainly conveyed by showing the candidates constant changing positions to meet KC’s current mood and to gain his single deciding vote.  Well staged and well acted, the story line has been around for quite a while making an appearance as early as 1939 in the John Barrymore film The Great Man Votes.  While reasonably entertaining as a big screen film, it will work just as well on DVD in your family room.  

 

Watch for a remake of the The Parent Trap (1961) where Haley Mills had to play a set of twins with Abigail Breslin and Madeline Carroll splitting the roles between them.  

 

And don’t forget to vote.  Write in my name listed above.  I agree with every position you hold.  I promise that when elected things will be different starting with my firing of the entire Congress and Senate.  Since they don’t accomplish anything we don’t really need them.  And how does 25 cents per gallon of gas sound?  
 
Rated 2.5 out of 4 electoral votes for ??????????