Re: *** Official SWING VOTE Discussion Thread
This was one of those movies where I liked everything about it BUT the premise that drew me in. That is, the bleak as hell world that Bud and his daughter occupy rang so true and felt so real that I was almost impatient though all the hijinks with the president and his opponent. As hysterical as the pro-life abortion ad was, for instance, I was wondering when Bud would shape up. The humor of the race almost seemed in poor taste considering how many Texico, New Mexicos there are out there. Moments like the boy's father breaking down during bring your dad to school day because he can't provide for his family make that contest seem so crass and unimportant. Bud was ultimately redeemed in my eyes, but neither presidential candidate was. We got to the climax with Bud faced with the choice so many of us are when we exercise our civil duty: damned to choose the lesser of two evils or a meaningless independent candidate who's probably just as much of an arrogant blowhard anyway. It had to end with him closing the curtain, because either choice would have obscured the significance of the simple act of voting.
Special notice to the scene where Molly meets her mother for the first time. The entire movie we got hints about Molly's mother, but the exact nature and extent of the relationship is never entirely made clear. When she knocks on that door, the shocks of understanding come fast and furious. First, that Molly only knows what her mom looks like from the photograph. Second, that letter is the only communication that she's had from her. Third, that our whole understanding of Bud and Molly's relationship is wrong. Until this scene, we see their dynamic as a classic role reversal, with Molly forced into the role of parent. But while Molly shoulders far more of the burden than any child should ever have to, Bud has been extraordinarily careful creating her world. He gave her the mother he wished she could have. He built up his addict ex to be somebody so that Molly could have someone to look up to. And when she needs him, he's there. In that apartment building, he is every bit the parent of ten or eleven years.
