Hard Candy (2006)

The supercharged possibilities of a single set and two amped-up actors are explored in Hard Candy, a twisted cocktail with a poison kicker. After a flirtatious encounter in an online chat room, two people agree to meet for coffee: a 32-year-old man (Patrick Wilson) and a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page). They quickly advance to his house, and just as quickly, the apparent pedophilic seduction morphs into something else entirely. After the tables turn, Hard Candy becomes a tale of revenge and torture that might have tempted a filmmaker like Park Chanwook. Here, first-time feature director David Slade opts for a slick look that stays close to the actors, and you can't really blame him--this movie is like a conceptual, more-than-slightly unbelievable off-Broadway play, a showcase for actors and "controversial" ideas. Those actors are strong: Patrick Wilson (Angels in America, Phantom of the Opera) is every bit as creepy as he needs to be, and Ellen Page has nothing short of a triumph. The Canadian actress was around 18 when she shot the film, but looks like an adolescent, which makes her authoritative wrath all the more shocking to witness. The provocations of Hard Candy sometimes seem arbitrary or forced, but Page's electrifying performance can't be denied, or dismissed. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Kinda Creepy

Kinda creepy movie with definitely disturbing undertones. And overtones, for that matter. At the same time, though, it's not the most plausibly presented story, which really affected my ability to get into it. It was just too difficult for me to believe that a kid weighing 114 lbs or less could keep a grown man captive. Even with drugs, that's not likely considering that he could probably have picked her up with one arm. Aside from that, it had some real moments of suspense - and the psychological games being played were original and intense, even though we're somewhat left to wonder about the characters' histories and motives. Worth watching. January 3, 2009

You won't be able to look away

Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page turn in haunting yet rhapsodic performances as a 32-year-old photographer and a precocious 13-year-old in this disturbing flick about a grown man with dirty secrets and the child whose genius and intuition bring about lethal punishments.

Wilson's performance is powerful in that he manages to balance depravity with just enough charm to leave you feeling a bit sorry for him, even though he deserves what he gets at the hands of the clever little girl who confronts him with his illicit deeds.

Ellen Page doesn't miss a note in her portrayal of an avenging angel in a Little Red Riding Hoodie. She's one of the most terrifying antiheros in film.

Hard Candy is a new form of horror film, one that will have you wondering about the secrets of your neighbors both young and old. November 29, 2008

Mesmerizing thriller

Patrick Wilson shows his absolute astounding acting talent in this 2006 thriller and is 180 degrees different than the role he played as the viscount in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2004 masterpiece, Phantom of the Opera. Both Wilson and Ellen Page could not have played their parts better. Just when you think you know what is about to happen, there is a twist and this continues to the very end. If you like thrillers, if you like fantastic acting, directing and screenwriting you will love this movie. Note: there are no high-speed car chases or characters running for blocks; it relies instead on the storyline and getting you hooked from the first few minutes. This is a keeper! November 18, 2008

HARD CANDY leaves a bitter taste in Society's Mouth!

What? Where am I? Okay, did I just wake up from a Horrible Nightmare or what? I'm telling you right now, this so-called film can startle my dreams into HELL, litterally! I thought the story plot from this one would be harmless, boy, was I wrong. This was going way too far. Listen everybody, there's a positive way to handle a Blood-Curdling crisis and there's a negative way. Why does this movie have to hit very close to home anyway? I was very ashamed after this was over. It was very immoral,shocking,disturbing,anti-social,twisted,one-sided,out of line and very hard to swallow.(i'm not laughing.) Once Ellen Page's character was in the guy's house, she knew what she was doing. Because I kept telling myself that she had something up her sleeve, and I was right. That man was in for a Rude Awakening. The tables were turned, she was completely out of her rotten mind and she tried to find evidence against him. All she found, was one picture, one measley picture of an underage girl. This sets her character off, causing her to do the unthinkable to a man, who says he's innocent. This so-called film caused me to feel sorry for the guy. He's being tortured, accused, electricuted, humiliated, operated on and worst of all, horrified. He was the victem in all of this. The accuser was a rotten-minded teenage girl with a motive to bring a pedophile down to justice. I mean, for pete's sake she got away with stuff nobody should get away with. I couldn't put anything together to figure this film out. In reality, there are teens out there in the world who would NOT react the way Ellen's character did. Thank God there is help when you need it. Look guys, Spoiler or not, the victem dies, the accuser gets away scott-free and it's MESSED UP! I'm sorry, but this garbage needs to be banned, seriously. I don't believe I was drawn to it. What the hell happened to good ol' Drama movies? Does anybody know? Well, there's my answer: nothing. Anyway, I've seen the light. HARD CANDY showed its ugly face, and I was terrified! 2 thumbs down! November 7, 2008

Hard Candy

In "Juno", Ellen Page played the quirky, independent music loving girl, and I have to admit, I have a soft spot for that sort of thing. I was crushing on her a little bit. After seeing "Juno", the first thing I did was come home and IMDB her. This is how I found out about "Hard Candy".

"Hard Candy" is disturbing. Let's just get that out of the way. It's the anti-"Juno". This is not the lighthearted independent comedy where you leave the theater giggling. I bet that when the movie is over, at least 50% of people say the same thing I did, which was "Oh my God." It takes the revenge film genre and turns it on its head, much like Carrie did in the `70s. In most revenge movies, it's a big strong man who has something taken away from him and he spends the rest of the movie getting it back. Rarely ever is it a barely pubescent girl who is putting the fear in people, and when it is, they have super powers.

"Hard Candy" begins with Haley (Page) playfully flirting with Jeff (Patrick Wilson) online. It is clear from the beginning that we are watching a blooming pedophilic relationship. They agree to meet at a public place. Within the first minute of their encounter, Jeff wipes a bit of chocolate off of Haley's mouth and then licks his finger. He is not shy about what he wants from her and it is pretty damn uncomfortable to watch. Throughout the scene we see Jeff vacillate between treating her like she's a peer (giving the child a feeling of adultness) and treating her even younger than she is (letting her know who holds the power in the relationship). It's classic child predator behavior.

Haley passively gets Jeff to invite her back to his house, the whole time Jeff trying to make her feel more comfortable about leaving with him, but it is not necessary. She obviously wants to go with him and she is not at all worried about her own safety. The direction of the movie takes a sudden turn when they get to his home and Haley drugs him. He wakes up tied to a chair. For the rest of the movie, Haley terrorizes him while he begs for mercy and tries to explain why he is the way he is. She threatens to reveal to his ex-girlfriend that he's a pedophile. There is a scene where she shaves his pubic hair, numbs his crotch with a bag of ice, pulls out a scalpel, and let's just say it gets a little uncomfortable to have a penis and watch what she does.

Even though the tone of "Hard Candy" is so much different than that of "Juno", Page still delivers a dissonant charm while horrifying Jeff. The dialogue is almost always clever and I found myself giggling in spite of the darkness of the movie. The tone of the movie is pretty damn unique.

There are some people that are not going to like this film because of how upsetting it is. Others will hate it because of how cold the Haley character is and this coldness makes them dislike her in spite of the fact that the man she's terrifying is a pedophile and possibly a murderer. This is the point of the movie. There is supposed to be an internal conflict within the viewer about whether what Haley is doing is moral. The film maker does not seem to take one side or the other.

I really liked this movie, but I need to disclose that I'm a sucker for witty banter and revenge, something that few movies are able to combine (although "Lucky Number Slevin" and "Memento" both pull it off). If you just saw Juno and want more of the light-hearted fluffy goodness, try her newest film "Smart People". "Hard Candy" is not what you're looking for. November 1, 2008

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