Hard Candy (2005)

A teenage girl raids a man's home in order to expose him under suspicion that he is a sex offender with pedophilia.

Director:

David Slade

Writer:

Brian Nelson

Stars:

Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh

10 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Patrick Wilson	...	Jeff Kohlver
Ellen Page	...	Hayley Stark
Sandra Oh	...	Judy Tokuda
Odessa Rae	...	Janelle Rogers (as Jennifer Holmes)
G.J. Echternkamp	...	Nighthawks Clerk (as Gilbert John)

Storyline

After three weeks of chatting with the thirty-two year old photographer Jeff Kohlver over the Internet, fourteen year old Hayley Stark meets him in the Nighthawks coffee shop. Hayley flirts with him in spite of the age difference and proposes to go to his house. Once there, she prepares a screwdriver for them and Jeff passes out. When he awakes, he is tied up to a chair, and Hayley accuses him of pedophilia. Jeff denies the accusation, and Hayley begins to torture him in a cat and mouse game.

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Plot Keywords:

missing person poster | sexual predator | online dating | photographer | chatting | 

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Taglines:

Strangers shouldn't talk to little girls.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hard Candy

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$950,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$58,049 (USA) (14 April 2006)

Gross:

$1,007,962 (USA) (2 June 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vulcan Productions, Launchpad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brian Nelson's first draft of the screenplay was the one used in the film. It was his first official film script.

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Goofs

When Jeff is struggling to get the bonds off when he is on the castration table, his hands and wrists are all red and there are heavy red marks all over his wrists. When Jeff confronts Hayley and he falls down (on the roof), his wrists are completely clean and no marks are seen at all.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hayley Stark: Mmm. This is soo good. I want more.
Jeff Kohlver: Don't get greedy.

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Connections

Referenced in Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks: The Abominable Dr. Phibes (2014)

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Soundtracks

Elephant Woman
Performed by Blonde Redhead
Composed by Blonde Redhead
Licensed Courtesy of 4AD Beggars Group

User Reviews

Amazing performances

I saw Hard Candy at the Angelika, in Tribeca New York and never have I been so shocked, surprised and utterly impressed with an acting performance. The storyline, though somewhat confusing was overpowered by the Oscar-winning performance given by Ellen Page, 14-year old Hayley. Though it could have wrapped up a little sooner (it was a bit longer than expected) I would highly recommend this to anyone who has buddies they talk to online, or anyone that generally enjoys suspenseful films. Not to be outdone by the young star, Patrick Wilson gave an excellent performance. The whole movie was a twisted roller coaster of not knowing who to believe. Whether young Hayley was telling the truth, or was she in fact just completely insane, you won't find out until the end, but either way, it was a knockout performance by both stars and a highly recommended film!