Robert Redford may still look good enough to sweep an election in 2032, let alone in 1972 when he was in his hunky-intellectual prime.
Watching the camera love his face in the election classic “The Candidate” may ruin some of the tension inherent in the plot — how could somebody who looks like that ever lose a vote? Women alone would tear his opponent limb from limb, as evidenced by the way the female voters stare dreamily at Redford through much of the film.
But “The Candidate” isn’t just about Redford’s looks, even while packaged appearances play as a central theme. “The Candidate” is much richer than that, and to watch it during this year’s overwhelming campaign season is to feel wonder at how little has changed, and how universal a 1972 film can still be.
All the moods and characters of “The Candidate” are playing out in Colorado as you read this, with the manipulations of campaign managers, the hollow feeling candidates get at their 300th rubber-chicken dinner, the relentless influence of television on American politics. It’s all here in this actors showcase, which also won an Oscar for screenwriting.
Redford plays Bill McKay, a dashing legal-aid lawyer who thrives on fighting for the little guy. He’s also hiding from his high-profile father’s past as governor of California.
But the beauty of “The Candidate” is the opening scene, before all that, before we’ve met Redford. Peter Boyle is a hired-gun campaign operative, thoughtful and cynical at once, departing a losing effort. Before he’s even out the door of these poignant scenes, he’s got his eye on young McKay as his next . . . project? victim?
Boyle cannily massages McKay’s ego into a run at California’s U.S. Senate seat, held by one of the greatest names in movie politics: Crocker Jarmon, played terrifically as a slick fuddy-duddy by Don Porter. McKay goes into the effort recklessly, principles intact. Then the electoral meat grinder has its way with those lofty principles, with the machine greased by McKay’s vanity.
“The Candidate” is an outstanding political discussion for your teenagers, engrossing and engaging. Mail your ballot and then pop this movie into the DVD player.
Rated: PG, with minor language and mature subject matter.
Best suited for: Anyone, young or old, remotely interested in politics.
