The Candidate
Warner Bros. | Release Date: June 29, 1972 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Hollywood ReporterArthur Knight
Redford, who dominates the picture, has never been more assured or appealing. Read full review
100
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The Candidate is an excellent drama starring Robert Redford as a naive liberal political novice who wises up fast...Redford’s superior acting talents, which not-often-enough are tapped by the scripts he decides to do, are nearly all on display herein in a virtuoso peformance. Read full review
90
The New York TimesVincent Canby
One of the few good, truly funny American political comedies ever made. Read full review
90
TimeBen Cosgrove
What viewers will most clearly remember long after the screen goes dark is Redford’s sympathetic portrayal of a good man seduced by the mere prospect of power. Read full review
80
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
A fairly obvious story, perhaps, but one that is helped enormously both by Ritchie's reluctance to move away from simulated realism into melodramatic plotting, and by his customary generosity, clear-eyed and unsentimental, towards his characters. Read full review
80
EmpireKim Newman
With Redford giving one of his best comedic performances, helped by a Oscar winning script, The Candidate is witty and charming, while looking good and proving quite memorable, like Redford's lawyer. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Handlers, spin-doctors, and the good man they lead astray. Jeremy Larner's Academy Award-winning screenplay provides a voyage into the sea of politics; the result is a fascinating film that sometimes feels like a documentary. Despite minor glitches, this is a prophetic glimpse of politics in the age of TV. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Redford's inability to suggest any irony about himself finally sinks it—it's the only sanctimonious satire you'll ever see. Read full review
40
TimeJay Cocks
Neither the authentic political atmosphere nor canny performances by Redford, Boyle and Porter go far to cut through the basic glibness of the film. Ritchie incorporates numerous television political commercials and makes a point of their smooth dishonesty and wily distortion. None, however have less substance than The Candidate. Read full review
30
Village VoiceAndrew Sarris
But why would so many critics fall for a piece of cheese like “The Candidate?” Robert Redford cultism? Partly, I suppose. Read full review
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