If you've seen the trailer to 'Swing Vote', then you're probably expecting a delightful and funny-yet-serious movie that will leave you with a warm feeling when you leave the cinema. I know I did.

But you'll be disappointed.

The film certainly has the right acting credentials, with the likes of Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, and Stanley Tucci being onboard. But this impressive starring line-up is also one of the movie's greatest problems — it gets victimised by our expectations of what these actors will deliver.

All of them are placed in roles different to what we're used to, which would have been a good thing under the hand of an experienced director. But 'Swing Vote' is only director Joshua Michael Stern's second movie so the characters come across as decidedly two-dimensional, leaving the actors spluttering around like a fish on land.

Kevin Costner is a good example of this. The roguish role has worked for him before (who could ever forget his bad guy character in '3000 Miles to Graceland'?) but it doesn't here. He tries to toe the line between likeable douche bag and a strong character, but he often slips and lands on the balance bar with legs spread.

The shining exception to this is 12-year-old newcomer Madeline Carroll who acts out her roll perfectly. Granted, she has not been around long enough for us to typecast her, but with a start like this she's going to follow in the footsteps of acting wunderkind Dakota Fanning.

Then there's the obviously unbelievable plot, which would have been fine if you didn't get the feeling that they're really trying to force events into a position where they'd supposedly make sense, instead of the fluke occurrence they so clearly are.

'Swing Vote' also tries to comment on the gap between politics and the reality of the challenges faced by everyday people, but because of the stitched-together atmosphere, the film lacks the necessary momentum to punch its way into being taken seriously.

Although there are indeed ample moments that will solicit a laugh — or a chuckle at the very least — 'Swing Vote' is a good example of a movie that fails to meet the expectations of the feel-good entertainment promised by its trailer, leaving you depressingly disappointed.