A documentary detailing the 1994 Virginia Senate race between former National Security Council member Oliver North and incumbent Sen. Charles Robb.
A Perfect Candidate - a documentary about the 1994 Senate Race in Virginia - was released in 1996, so perhaps you think it has little relevance today. Think again. Comparing the two candidates, one voter calls it "democracy versus socialism" - exactly the argument President Obama's critics have made since before his election.
The voter expressing that sentiment is a supporter of Republican candidate Oliver North. North became a household name in the 1980s for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan administration diverted funds from secret arms deals with Iran to buy weapons for Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The movie opens with footage of North admitting he lied to Congress about the administration's actions. Some people would find that unpatriotic, but the footage draws wild applause shortly before North himself is introduced at a rally.
The movie tells us that North's Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Charles Robb, has his own scandals. He's been accused of having an affair with Playboy Playmate Tai Collins and taking her to parties where cocaine was used. Robb admitted to sharing a massage and a bottle of wine with Collins, but he denied having an affair and also using denied using drugs. Even if he was telling the truth, he'd had a steep fall for a man once considered a potential president. Given these two candidates' backgrounds, it's ironic to hear them attacking each other's "character."
The interesting parts of A Perfect Candidate are the result of its fly on the wall approach. The cameras go on the campaign bus, inside remarkably frank strategy meetings, behind the scenes at campaign rallies and follows the candidates as they try to connect with voters. One especially entertaining segment shows the North and Robb campaign managers bantering during a cigarette break. Politics aside, they get along surprisingly well.
North's campaign manager, Mark Goodin, is the movie's most compelling personality. The Republican National Committee's former communications director, he was forced to resign over a memo implying Speaker of the House Tom Foley was a homosexual. Intelligent, blunt and profane, he has the zeal of a true believer. He practically bares his soul to the camera several times and gives you the impression that a documentary focusing solely on him would be well worth watching. The most entertaining personality is Washington Post reporter Don Baker, who is covering the campaign and is skeptical about both candidates. He provides a bemused running commentary for the cameras, especially in the hilarious scene where he mocks Robb's claim of having never told a lie. The candidates themselves reveal little insight into their thoughts. North seemingly always wears a mask of false piety, even when not on the campaign trail, while Robb seems to have all the personality of a ventriloquist dummy. Watch the embarrassing way he fumbles an answer during a debate.
If there's a weakness with the movie it's that the focus is overwhelmingly on North. Why are there no interviews with Robb's strategy team? Watching them debate how to deal with the Collins scandal or come up with ways to attack North's admitted perjury before Congress would have been entertaining.
In the end, despite his flaws Robb won the election by approximately 56,000 votes. North hardly suffered: his credentials today include being a Fox News commentator. Robb would go on to be defeated 52 percent to 48 percent by former Virginia governor George F. Allen in his 2000 reelection bid.
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