Thoroughly confounding the 'normal' relationship between abuser and victim, first-time director Slade presents a complex morality tale under the guise of an exploitation thriller.
Comment
06/15/07
Hard Candy (2005)
67
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:129
Fresh:87
Rotten:42
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Disturbing, controversial, but entirely engrossing, Hard Candy is well written with strong lead performances, especially that of newcomer Ellen Page. A movie that stays with the viewer long after leaving the theater.
Theatrical Release:16-06-2006
Synopsis: Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl -- but even smart girls make mistakes. She's hooking up in a coffee shop with Jeff, a guy she's met on the Internet. And even though he's a cute,... [More]
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Director: David Slade
Reviews for Hard Candy
Top CriticA cracking little thriller which makes you think even as it’s keeping you on the edge of your seat. It’s not always easy viewing, but Hard Candy is an intelligent, challenging film which deserves to be seen.
12/30/06
Top CriticSmart, challenging and timely look at the world of internet grooming.
06/24/06
It's smart, funny, and surprisingly visually discreet. Some scenes may leave you doubled-up, but the overall effect is, as the saying goes, better than a kick in the balls.
06/24/06
[Hard Candy is] a stylishly directed thriller that's worth seeing for its intense performances, but there are too few surprises and the end result is disappointing.
06/17/06
It's not the surprise that keeps us gripped; it's the deeply creepy writing and amazingly raw performances that do it.
05/06/06
A film that will have you both squirming in your seat and teetering on the edge of it.
06/24/06
Top CriticPackaged in an increasingly lurid, credibility-free storyline, delivered with unstinting insensitivity by a first-time director determined to show off his ad-man’s box of visual tics.
06/24/06
Top CriticThe whole affair feels as much like a stunt as it does an exploration of crime and punishment, but is no less thrilling a ride.
04/13/06
As an exercise in grueling psychological suspense, the movie is -- literally -- several 'cuts' above the rest.
05/06/06
... a revolting piece of work.
04/28/06
Hard Candy is an ugly film, which is not precisely meant as an aesthetic or even a moral judgment.
04/14/06
It's there to be experienced, tolerated, and appreciated for the wretched, well-executed, difficult, artful, and appalling creation that it is.
04/13/06
A harrowing drama that keeps kicking up the intensity another notch until it kicks it two notches too many, Hard Candy is involving because you truly can't guess how it will end.
04/27/06
Riveting.
04/14/06
Hard Candy, a highly original psychological thriller/revenge fantasy, can be bitterly hard to take and uncomfortably intense, but it's well worth consuming.
04/14/06
British director David Slade announces himself as a master of economy and discrimination by leaving the horror to the audience's imagination. This movie will make you squirm like you've never squirmed before.
04/15/09
Hard Candy is a psychological thriller as chilling as a cold, serrated blade to the jugular.
04/27/06
The movie often talks circles around itself, trying to layer in subtext to cover for a slasher movie final act, but it was still enough to have me squirming in my seat.
04/19/06
Two parts sheer brilliance, one part contrived mess.
04/27/06
Latest News for Hard Candy
December 06, 2007:
Ellen Page on Juno: The RT Interview
Canadian actress Ellen Page is an anomaly in Hollywood. The star of this week's Juno has been in movies since the age of 10, has the face of a 14-year-old and the pop... More...
June 18, 2007:
Patrick Wilson (Pretty Much) Confirmed for "Watchmen"
He did great work in both "Hard Candy" and "Little Children," so now it might be time for Patrick Wilson's shot at the comic book material. More...
December 27, 2006:
Foster a Vampire Groupie for "30 Days of Night"
After playing troubled, goth-influenced teens in projects like "Six Feet Under" and "Hostage," it's about time Ben Foster just went right to the vampires. In... More...
April 14, 2006:
JB's Exclusive "Candy" Clip
One of my very favorite movies of the year (so far, anyway) is Brian Nelson & David Slade's Hard Candy, a tough and steely psycho-thriller about an internet predator, an... More...
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