Though dealing with a serious issue--pedophilia--the movie comes across as an exploitation femme-revenge thriller in the trashy vein of Ms. 45, Extremities, and Fatal Attraction, with a touch of the nasty sadism of Swimming With Sharks.
Hard Candy (2005)
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.
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Dramas
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,... 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, smooth high-end fashion photographer in his early 30s, Hayley shouldn't be suggesting that the two of them go back to his house-alone. When they get there, Hayley quickly finds some vodka and starts mixing screwdrivers. She even suggests a photo shoot and strips off some clothing. Everything is going well for Jeff… until his vision blurs and fades, and he passes out. It turns out Hayley has spiked Jeff's screwdriver, and when he revives, he's tied down with Hayley searching through his place. She doesn't think it'll take too long to get a confession that she's not the first teenage girl Jeff's brought home and, more importantly, that her prisoner knows what happened to Donna Mauer, another girl who disappeared from Jeff's favorite coffee shop. And if he's unwilling to confess, well, she has another plan -- She uses an icepack as a homemade anesthetic… She starts shaving an incision site… She's learned a lot from the internet -- including this little surgical procedure she's dying to try… Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page star in HARD CANDY, a provocative psychological thriller directed by David Slade, written by Brian Nelson, produced by David Higgins, Richard Hutton and Michael Caldwell, and executive produced by Jody Patton and Rosanne Korenberg. It is the latest film produced by Vulcan Productions (FAR FROM HEAVEN, TITUS) in association with Launchpad Productions. -- © Lions Gate Films [More]
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Director: David Slade
Director: David Slade
Screenwriter: Brian Nelson
Composer: Harry Escott, Molly Nyman
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Hard Candy
To watch Hard Candy is, at moments, to be very afraid, but the scariest thing about it is the fury of Page's talent.
the entire film hinges on how Page and Wilson execute their roles. With apologies to Carly Simon, I can't imagine anybody doing it better.
[The film] contrives to wag its own finger at itself -- to have its bonbon and eat it too.
There's a lot more going on here than just a revenge fantasy. These are two fascinating characters, and watching them thrust and parry proves to be as impossible to turn away from as observing a grotesque roadside accident.
A smart thriller ... feels like Fatal Attraction updated for the internet age.
Hard Candy's calculated intimations of bloodshed are, like everything else about this faux-grrrl power fiasco, just phony posturing.
One of the most challenging and darkly, smartly entertaining movies of the year.
An intense, well-acted film that deals with its alarming subject matter in an audacious way.
Yeah, this candy is hard to handle, but at the same time it's oh so sweet.
This is an extremely well-made film that pushes precisely the right buttons.
A spectacular performance by teenage thesp Ellen Page elevates this disturbing slice of designer shocksploitation into a film that's impossible to dismiss on principle.
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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