The Candidate is a 1972 American political comedy-drama film starring Robert Redford and Peter Boyle, and directed by Michael Ritchie. The Academy Award-winning screenplay, which examines the various facets and machinations involved in political campaigns, was written by Jeremy Larner, a speechwriter for Senator Eugene McCarthy during McCarthy's campaign for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination.
The Candidate was one of Redford's best 10 roles.
"A movie about politics, so that you can still claim relevance. But a film made over forty years ago which has interesting things to say about today. And one which shows us the seeds of trends which are bearing so much poisonous fruit in 2016." Mostlyfilm.com (Jul. 2016)