A Perfect Candidate (1996)

The filmmakers follow Oliver North's unsuccessful 1994 bid for a Virginia Senate seat, focusing on North's campaign strategist, Mark Goodin, and a Washington Post reporter. Mudslinging ... See full summary »

Directors:

R.J. Cutler, David Van Taylor

Stars:

Don Baker, Mark Goodin, Mark Merritt

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Baker	...	Self - Washington Post
Mark Goodin	...	Self - North Campaign Senior Strategist
Mark Merritt	...	Self - Communications Director
Peter Baker	...	Self
Glen Bolger	...	Self
Floyd Brown	...	Self
Tim Carpenter	...	Self
Bill Clinton	...	Self
J. Marshall Coleman	...	Self (as Marshall Coleman)
David Demasters	...	Self (as Dr. David Demasters)
Warren Fiske	...	Self
Mike Gooding	...	Self - Reporter
David Jacobsen	...	Self - Former Hostage
Laurie Kellman	...	Self
David Lerman	...	Self

Storyline

The filmmakers follow Oliver North's unsuccessful 1994 bid for a Virginia Senate seat, focusing on North's campaign strategist, Mark Goodin, and a Washington Post reporter. Mudslinging ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

senate | virginia | reporter | campaign bus | u.s. senate | 

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Taglines:

In the voting booth, no one can hear you scream.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Quotes

Minority voter: You gotta decide what you wanta vote for, the flu or the measles.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Striptease/Cold Fever/The Nutty Professor/A Perfect Candidate/Maybe, Maybe Not (1996)

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Soundtracks

Democracy
Written and Performed by Leonard Cohen

User Reviews

"Blue Skies" shining at me nothing but "Blue Skies" do I see

Documentary of the 1994 senatorial campaign for the Virginia senate seat with a resurgent, from the Iran-Contra hearings, Ollie North running on the both Republican as well as Family Value ticket against former governor Chuck Robb the man as he called himself who never told a lie in his entire life. Both candidates had enough skeletons in their closets to fill Arlington Cementery but it was North who was the front runner in this race in his being involved in sending money as well as a birthday cake to the Ayatolla Khomeini regime in Iran-In return for arms to the Nicaraguan "Freedom Fighting" Contras- that at the time held dozens of US citizens,mostly working for the CIA,hostage. North was the point man in this sleazy undercover operation with the US practically in a state of war with Iran and that had him dubbed not as Ollie but "Muhammad Ollie" North by many Americans in and out of the US media.

Now seven years later Ollie seemed to have cleaned up his act with all charges of lying to the US Congress dropped , on a minor technicality, from his record he seemed to be well on his way to become a members of the US Senate with only the dull as dishwater Chuck Robb blocking him. Robb himself was anything but a perfect candidate he was accused of being involved in both sex and drug parties with former Playmate & beauty queen Tai Collins who he claimed he had no knowledge of, he said he was drunk or high on pot at the time, and that Tai only gave him, while completely undressed ,just an innocent massage.

As the campaign went into it's final week Robb well behind Ollie got the support of the former Afracan/American-Who looks even whiter then Robert Redford-Virginia governor Douglas "Wild Man" Wilder who up until then had nothing but sheer contempt for him. The death blow on Ollie North's run for the senate was when former President Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy not only came out to endorse Robb but calling the All-American & Family Value Ollie a bold face liar. That's what finally turned the tide in Robb's favor. As the vote came in Robb took the lead and held it getting 45.6% of the vote to Ollie's 42.9%. It wasn't Robb's sparkling personality family values and honesty, no one really believed a word that he said, that got him elected but Ollie's checkered past. in his involvement in the drug and gun running between Iran and the Nicaraguan Contra "Freedom Fighters" that in the end finally finished him off.

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Key Theatre - 1222 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,448, 23 June 1996

Gross USA:

$134,485

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$134,485

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arpie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color