The Candidate

1972
PG
1h 50m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures

Play trailer3:05

1 Video

42 Photos

Political Drama Satire Comedy Drama

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

12K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Videos1

Trailer 3:05

The Candidate

Photos42

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Scriptwriter Jeremy Larner used to write political speeches for 1968 presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy.

Goofs
When McKay has his first "press the flesh" event at the factory, the same woman with short blonde hair and a brown coat passes him walking out the gate twice.

Quotes
[last lines]
Bill McKay: What do we do now?

Alternate versions
In the digital release, it had the opening 1992 Warner Bros. Pictures logo plus an additional closing 2003 variant.

Connections
Edited into La classe américaine (1993)

Soundtracks
A Better Way
Music by John Rubinstein
Lyrics by David Colloff

User reviews89

Featured review

7/10

Sort of like what it would be like to hang out with a political candidate throughout the election.

"The Candidate" is a very simple movie. It follows a guy (Robert Redford) who is running for the Senate and you see him from agreeing to run to his eventual election. Throughout, the guy tries (not always successfully) to keep his idealism but there is a strong push by his handlers to get him to talk more and say less at the same time. This aspect of the story is very believable and this man is, more or less, relatively 'normal' and without any earth-shattering secrets or personal deficiencies. In fact, the film has little in the way of excitement--no 'bombshells', no real controversies--just a look at the political process and the men who handle these candidates. Certainly not a must-see film but well worth your time.