Name: Film/Television Review: Swing Vote (1999)
Item: Swing Vote
Rating: 40
Author: @drax

(source: tmdb.org)

American films that can be viewed as prophetic are rare, and they were even rarer when made for television networks in 1990s. One of such rarities is Swing Vote, 1999 film directed by David Anspaugh. The plot is set in (then) near future after US Supreme Court has struck down previous Roe vs. Wade decision, thus ending the legality of abortion. Alabama is one of the states to pass laws based on new decision and treat abortion as first degree murder. Vriginia Mapes (played by Lisa Gay Hamilton) is an activist who deliberately had abortion performed in order to challenge state law at Supreme Court. One of the Supreme Court judges who will decide on it is Joseph Kirkland (played by Andy Garcia), relatively young attorney who was recently appointed. Without him the Court is split in middle between liberals who would rule in favour of young woman and conservatives who want to uphold previous decision. Kirkland is subjected to intense lobbying by colleagues from both sides, and lobbying includes also close friends and members of his own family. Despite everything, Kirkland is determined to make his decision only after serious deliberation that would include weighing arguments of both sides.

Swing Vote is unusually obscure television film despite dealing with the enormously emotional and divisive issue that keeps tearing American society apart and, as the events of 2022 have shown, is still the most important for large number of voters. By ironic twist, last year’s Supreme Court decision allows an interesting comparison between real life and Hollywood fiction. This television production, which had Jerry Bruckheimmer as one of executive producers, tried to approach the issue just like the protagonist, in a very thoughtful and balanced manner, giving each side opportunity to present its arguments and allowing viewers to make their own conclusion. However, at the end of the day, script by Ronald Bass and Jane Rusconi is forced to tilt to one side and that outcome is rather predictable, knowing overwhelmingly liberal and left-wing orientation of Hollywood. Bias actually isn’t the main problem of Swing Vote, since films that deal with the same issues (like Rain Without Thunder, exploring the same scenario few year earlier) can be quite good. It is the poor execution that wrecks the concept. Intrigues within the Court and potentially fascinating internal process of decision making is drowned in sentimentality and cliches. Even the presence of good-looking actor Andy Garcia harms the film, because his character of young lawyer being suddenly elevated to one of the most important positions in country makes this film look more like Capraesque fantasy than real life. Swing Vote was, despite notable names in the cast, quickly forgotten. By strange irony of history, it is likely to be more relevant and talked right now than during its television premiere almost two and half decades ago.

RATING: 4/10 (+)