At last, a politico who’s not only willing but eager to embrace a financial fiasco. Former George W. Bush aide Bradley Blakeman claims he came up with the idea for Swing Vote and has filed a lawsuit claiming damages. According to the Associated Press, the suit says Blakeman wrote a similar screenplay and sent it to future Swing Vote costar Kelsey Grammer two years ago. Grammer’s rep has dismissed Blakeman’s claim against the actor as meritless; the other defendants — including various Disney divisions, the Swing Vote credited screenwriters, and star/co-producer Kevin Costner — have not commented on the suit’s merits.
I’m wondering the same thing I always wonder when such suits are filed, especially when they’re filed after the movie has already opened to dismal box office. (Blakeman filed on Thursday, six days after the film opened.) First, the movie has earned just $12 million in 10 days of release, on a reported budget (according to Box Office Mojo) of $21 million, meaning that it’s a flop from which no one is likely to profit, so what damages can Blakeman hope to see? Second, why would you want to claim credit for a film generally regardedas mediocre? EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum gave it a C, and the movie earned aMetacritic score of just 47. Unless, of course, Blakeman wrote a brilliant script that was not only plagiarized but butchered on its way to becoming a forgettable feature film. That’d be worth calling your lawyer over.
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SOP in Hollywood is to throw unsolicited scripts in the garbage and I’d be shocked if this guys script made it beyond Kelsey’s trash. Moreover, after the Bush/Gore debacle, the suggestion of this plot was obvious.
Why would anyone WANT to claim credit for this lame story idea?
Yeah, why would you want credit for a crappy movie? If it was a hit, I can understand.