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The Front Runner

The Front Runner

Gary Hart was going to be President. Instead he changed American politics forever.

2018113 minRMidcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Director
Jason Reitman
Starring
Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Mark O'Brien

Gary Hart, former Senator of Colorado, becomes the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1987. Hart's intelligence, charisma and idealism makes him popular with young voters, leaving him with a seemingly clear path to the White House. All that comes crashing down when allegations of an extramarital affair surface in the media, forcing the candidate to address a scandal that threatens to derail his campaign and personal life.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Front Runner?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Front Runner to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Front Runner?

The Front Runner earns 7 badges, led by Award Winner and Box Office Flop.

  • Reception
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is The Front Runner worth watching?

The Front Runner's Midcredits score is the 41st percentile of all films, from 30K ratings across 6 sources. 39% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

41st percentile

Better received than 41% of films

17th percentile among Biography42nd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)47th
Approval (how many liked it)36th

61 /100

47th percentile of all films

23rd percentile among Biography48th percentile among 2010s

Critics 61 · Audience 61

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.1 — solid but not unanimous.

39% liked it

36th percentile of all films

13th percentile among Biography36th percentile among 2010s
39% rated it 7–1061% rated it 1–6

Critics 58% · Audience 41%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 1 wins / 5 noms overall

93rd percentile

30K ratings across platforms

84th percentile among Biography93rd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 39% in 30 days

Box office

Opening weekend$52K
Domestic gross$2M
Worldwide gross$3.2M

51st percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A film about the 1988 Gary Hart scandal that explores the collision of media, politics, and personal privacy, but leaves the viewer unsure what point it's making.

Fans praised

  • Hugh Jackman compelling as flawed, charismatic candidate
  • Sara Paxton heartbreaking as Donna Rice, treated sympathetically
  • Timely commentary on privacy vs. media scrutiny in politics

Detractors panned

  • Muddled script with no clear stance on Hart or the media
  • Underdeveloped central character; never understand Hart's appeal or motives
  • Atrocious sound mixing drowns out dialogue, especially first act

What stands out

Acting70

Jackman strong but wig distracts; Jackman fine, Farmiga affecting, Simmons reliable, Paxton sympathetic

Dialogue50

Snappy at times but often drowned out; not Sorkin-level wit; forced banter

Plot and story40

Story lacks momentum, feels aimless; ending anti-climactic; too many perspectives

Pacing40

Slow start, meandering middle; loses energy after scandal breaks

Characters35

Hart cold, distant, undeveloped; never get inside his head; supporting cast underutilized

Emotional impact30

Fails to make you care about Hart; wife's pain and Rice's victimhood somewhat affecting but undercut

Sound and music25

Sound mixing universally panned; dialogue drowned by noise/music in first act

Originality25

Rehashes familiar political-scandal beats; nothing new for genre

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 12 points higher than women.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 14 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • US vs non-US 6 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Front Runner like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicBittersweet
Heaviest: late
Register
Cold and cerebral · 4% of films: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film maintains a detached, observational stance, letting events speak for themselves without overt moralizing.
The rideThe film builds tension throughout Hart's campaign, peaking with the scandal and ending in a melancholic resignation.
StructureTold in conventional chronological order focusing on Hart's campaign and its collapse.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves you questioning the role of media in politics and the personal cost of public life.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).TragedyHubris
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% (this title) · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Hubris: Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeA political tragedy driven by hubris, where a front-runner's downfall is precipitated by a media expose of his extramarital affair.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfBetrayalMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% (this title) · Deception 9% (this title)
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% (this title) · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Betrayal · 5% of filmsFame · 3% of filmsDeception · 9% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores how personal betrayal and public deception unravel a political career in the media spotlight.
StanceThe film questions the interplay of ambition, media ethics, and personal conduct without celebrating or fully condemning any party.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral modernAmbientSupportive music · original score
Setting1980s U.S. presidential campaign trail and newsrooms

Content guide

Is The Front Runner okay for kids?

R

The Front Runner is rated R: “Rated R for language including some sexual references” (MPAA). As of August 31, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at minimal (2/100), sexual content at mild (24/100), language at intense (63/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (33/100) and frightening material at minimal (13/100). Overall it is heavier than 4% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 12 other countries
  • UK15
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany0
  • FranceU
  • Ireland18
  • JapanG
  • Hungary18
  • NetherlandsAL
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/18
  • Spain7
  • Sweden15
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 25% of all filmsHeavier than 4% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%
Sex & Nudity
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 18%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 42%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 25%
Frightening / Intense
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 5%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Front Runner have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Front Runner?

Cast

3 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Hugh Jackman
as Gary Hart
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Vera Farmiga
as Lee Hart
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
J.K. Simmons
as Bill Dixon
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Mark O'Brien
as Billy Shore
Molly Ephraim
as Irene Kelly
Chris Coy
as Kevin Sweeney
Alex Karpovsky
as Mike Stratton
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Josh Brener
as Doug Wilson
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Tommy Dewey
as John Emerson
Kaitlyn Dever
as Andrea Hart

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Front Runner?

Movies like The Front Runner include The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017) and I Saw the Light (2015). Of the 12 closest matches, most are period dramas, and most are stories about marriages in crisis.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

7 of these 12 share its story type: biopic. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Front Runner?

560 other films share the rarest tag below, follows: politician. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.