I went to see Kevin Costner, my old boss, in his new movie Swing Vote last night. He plays lovable loser, Bud Johnson, whose single unrecorded vote will decide the nation's next president. I know I am biased, but I swear, the movie is terrific.
It's got the feel of a great comedy from the 1930's. Imagine Mr. Smith goes to Washington meets Sullivan's Travels. Kevin is so funny, and every other actor from Kelsey Grammer to Dennis Hopper to newcomer Madeline Carroll is pitch perfect.
I'm not exactly sure how they pulled it off, making fun of our political system and our broken nation when so much around us is not funny. But, like those comedies born of the great depression, they did it, making us laugh, think, and come away feeling a little better about the future.
I refer to Kevin as "Darby's Godfather" in the title of this post because when I worked for him he asked me to pick out a puppy to give to his wardrobe person, Barbara, who had wanted a Dachshund for many years. I dutifully found the most adorable puppy, fell in love with him, and gave him a name before I even got him home.
I called Kevin that night, confessing through my tears that I loved this dog. Without missing a beat he said, "Moira, you can keep him. We'll get Barbara another dog." And with those words my life changed forever.
A month later, I found Lenny, Barbara's Dachshund, and she is crazy about him. So all is right with the world.
I couldn't take any pictures last night at the premiere (Disney is very strict about cameras), so I dug up some oldies from my life on the road making movies with KC.
On Robin Hood, I spent most of the day freezing and worrying he would drown in the English Channel, dragged to the bottom by the cape double knotted around his neck.
On the Warner Bros. lot trying to do business on a phone the size and weight of a gold brick.
On The Bodyguard the prop department made me a chair with my name on it. I liked to stand next to it so everyone could see.
Running lines on JFK. Oliver Stone hovers in the background.
Hanging out on the set of Wyatt Earp in Santa Fe, NM a.k.a. Tombstone
Darby, Lenny, and me at Barbara's house.
P.S. Kevin is also in a new band called Modern West.
This is my favorite song they do. It's called "Superman 14." Enjoy…
