Bill McKay has a lot going for him...but nothing compared to what's coming.
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.
The Candidate (1972) is a comedy and drama film directed by Michael Ritchie, released on June 29, 1972 with a runtime of 1h 50m. It stars Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas and Don Porter. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 192 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Candidate before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Candidate.
Trailer
Trailer
Featurette
Featurette
Robert Redford
as Bill McKay
Peter Boyle
as Marvin Lucas
Melvyn Douglas
as John J. McKay
Don Porter
as Senator Crocker Jarmon
Allen Garfield
as Klein
Karen Carlson
as Nancy McKay
Quinn K. Redeker
as Rick Jenkin
Morgan Upton
as Wally Henderson
Michael Lerner
as Paul Corliss
Kenneth Tobey
as Floyd J. Starkey
Christopher Pray
as David
Joe Miksak
as Neil Atkinson
Directed by Michael Ritchie, written by Jeremy Larner, produced by Walter Coblenz.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 192 ratings.
The cast is really good and Redford delivers a great performance. The story depicts the trip from an activist in the way to become the politician he was despising from the beginning, showing all the things that is is dropping in the raise to the election. However, the story is a bit rushed and the transfixing is not so evident as it could have been depicted.
Reviewed on July 18, 2015
The Candidate: This film is a great look into the current administration in the White House. ‘The Candidate’ is a fine example of art imitating life!
Reviewed on May 10, 2018
“McKay” (Robert Redford) is your stereotypical protest lawyer in California who is drafted in to fight the incumbent Republican “Crocker” (Don Porter) in what would appear to be little more than a box-ticking exercise for the Democrats. He only agrees to run if he is allowed by his election agent “Marvin” (Peter Boyle) to pretty much do and say what he likes throughout the campaign. Before long, that frankness and…
Reviewed on June 25, 2025
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The Candidate (1972) is available to stream on YouTube TV, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home and Spectrum On Demand. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Candidate (1972) includes Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas, Don Porter and Allen Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Candidate was released on June 29, 1972 and runs for 1h 50m.
The Candidate (1972) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 192 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Candidate trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
