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The Candidate may not get all the details right when it comes to modern campaigning, but it captures political absurdity perfectly -- and boasts typically stellar work from Robert Redford to boot. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Without a candidate to run for the senate seat against admired Republican Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter), campaign manager Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) recruits leftist lawyer Bill McKay (Robert Redford). McKay's appearance piques the public's interest, and gradually Lucas pushes McKay toward a more centrist message. As McKay's original and honest platform gets watered down, his popularity increases so much that he is running even with Jarmon as Election Day approaches.
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Rating: PG
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Michael Ritchie
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Producer: Walter Coblenz
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Writer: Jeremy Larner
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for The Candidate
Audience Reviews for The Candidate
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I'm not inclined to hail the movie as the incisive political commentary everyone seems to believe it is. Now I do like a lot of the subtle humor but I just don't buy Redford's character . . . he's both too stubborn and too much of a pushover.
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The Candidate is disappointing. Redford hardly comes across as someone that can win a Senate race. His character displays little-to-no drive which makes it hard to sympathize with his frustrations. The movie is not helped by a very poor DVD transfer. I was surprised to see that it was nominated for best sound since I found it to be very poor in that respect. The Candidate is not an awful movie, but when I tried to write a review recommending it, I found I couldn't.
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A left-wing lawyer runs for the Senate, but the campaign forces him to make concessions in his values. Robert Redford, with his natural sense of integrity and propriety, is at his best in this film because we get to see that integrity slowly crumble. The change is subtle -- sometimes too subtle, to the point that the film's plot isn't fully realized -- but it's there. The film's plot follows McKay's campaign, and as the process of getting elected strips McKay of his principles, the political process is appropriately satirized. The best part of the film is the famous last line: "What do we do now?" which is a quote echoed by many a modern politician. Overall, while I think the film's subtlety worked against it at points, the overall message is ahead of its time.
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A satirical and modern political chronicle.
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