Packaged 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.
Comment
06/24/06
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 CriticThoroughly confounding the 'normal' relationship between abuser and victim, first-time director Slade presents a complex morality tale under the guise of an exploitation thriller.
06/15/07
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
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04/28/06
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07/14/06
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10/18/08
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04/23/09
A bitter Candy.
05/05/06
The scenario at play here -- reportedly based on real-life attacks on suspected pedophiles by schoolgirls in Japan -- is an intriguing one, but as executed ultimately stretches plausibility.
04/14/06
You can sense that it wants to be talked about more than it wants to actually say anything
10/17/06
That all its castration talk is prolonged to willfully torturous lengths could be forgiven were the film much more inspired in its interplay.
04/18/06
Wilson might be playing a rapist of teenagers, but after 10 minutes of watching Page contort and stammer in such a loud, self-aware fashion, he doesn't look like such a bad guy after all.
04/13/06
Hard Candy ultimately lacks the balls to follow through on its most discomfiting promises, choosing instead to wallow in a surfeit of final-reel tidiness.
04/14/06
Because of its tricky subject matter and a pair of stellar performances, it's tempting to give "Hard Candy" more credit than it's entitled to.
04/23/06
Hard to swallow provocative but exploitative jailbait revenge fantasy flick.
05/14/06
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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