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The Candidate
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The Candidate (1972) More at IMDbPro »

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The Candidate (1972) -- Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
The Candidate (1972) -- Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   3,250 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Michael Ritchie
Writer:
Jeremy Larner (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Candidate on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 August 1972 (France) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
Too Handsome. Too Young. Too Liberal. Doesn't have a chance. He's PERFECT! more
Plot:
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Cinematical Seven: Most Memorable Campaigners
 (From Cinematical. 4 November 2008, 7:02 PM, PST)

1 Day to the Election Movie Watch - "The Candidate"
 (From JustPressPlay. 3 November 2008, 9:00 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Another Feather in Director Ritchie's Hat more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Redford ... Bill McKay

Peter Boyle ... Marvin Lucas

Melvyn Douglas ... John J. McKay
Don Porter ... Senator Crocker Jarmon
Allen Garfield ... Klein
Karen Carlson ... Nancy McKay
Quinn K. Redeker ... Rick Jenkin (as Quinn Redeker)
Morgan Upton ... Wally Henderson

Michael Lerner ... Paul Corliss
Kenneth Tobey ... Floyd J. Starkey
Chris Prey ... David
Joe Miksak ... Neil Atkinson
Jenny Sullivan ... Lynn
Tom Dahlgren ... Pilot
Gerald Hiken ... Station Manager
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Additional Details

Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Brazil:14 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:A (1972) | UK:PG (1988) | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | Spain:T (video rating) | Finland:S | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Groucho Marx has an uncredited walk-on cameo in what would be his last screen appearance. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The red convertible driven by Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) has three different license plates during the opening credits: "677 EIY", "185 ENV", and "772 DYD". All are from the 1972 era in California. more
Quotes:
Floyd J. Starkey: He's gonna get his ass kicked.
John J. McKay: He's not gonna get his ass kicked.
Floyd J. Starkey: Oh yeah? How can you be so sure?
John J. McKay: Because he's cute!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Abby Singer (2003) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
Another Feather in Director Ritchie's Hat, 20 March 2004
Author: richard winters (rwint) from Chicago, Illinois

8 out of 10

Director Michael Ritchie may not be a household name, but he is the creator of his own genre. He took the examination of competition and how embedded it is in American culture to new heights. Through his various movies he showed how it encompasses every aspect of society and how no one is immune to it. From SMILE to THE BAD NEWS BEARS and DOWNHILL RACER he showed how even the most unlikely of individuals could become fiercely competitive when driven. He also always took a humanistic approach thus making all these characters in his films strangely endearing no matter how sordid or ugly the competition made them become.

This film works along those same lines only it shows it from a political perspective. It is smart, fast, cynical, funny, dramatic, revealing, and entertaining all at the same time. This should rank as one of the best movies made about political campaigning. It still seems very timely and cutting edge. It's all very authentic and works almost like a documentary. The quick editing creates a very seamless style. The film makes some very telling observations without taking away from the 'reality' of it or the flow of the story. In fact one of the reasons it is so captivating is because it is so downright educational. When the film is all over you feel much wiser to the business and also as exhausted as the candidate himself.

Redford does another terrific job. He has a real gift for underplaying everything to the point that it looks like he isn't even acting at all. He plays off his pretty boy looks and yet doesn't stay locked in some heroic image. He harbors a lot of idealistic traits one would want in a candidate and yet he is still quite human. There are some definite shades of John F. Kennedy here. He has a troubled marriage and is even caught fooling around with a admiring female supporter. Although he has honorable ideas he is far from having all the answers. Probably the most interesting insight of this movie is the fact that he ends up getting as sucked into the mechanics and compromises of the political machine as his 'old school' foe. This then perfectly illustrates just how immense and encompassing the political machine really is and how no one is really going to change it.

This is a excellent and very well crafted picture that not only hits the bullseye, but does it many times over. You've gotta love Redford's final line and Boyle, as his campaign manager, has never been better.

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Does McKay have an affair? the_ccramaster1
VHS-style video tapes back in 1971? cryptical70
Sequel? robertb-4
Groucho Marx karmacoupe
Is This film based on Reagan Vs Brown 1966 treebeardman
From a reliable source BIG NEWS PLEASE READ bruce20207
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