Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Hard Candy

  • 20052005
  • RR
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
160K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,950
71
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Hard Candy (2005)
Theatrical Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer2:22
2 Videos
69 Photos
  • Drama
  • Thriller

Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks... Read allHayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.

IMDb RATING
7.0/10
160K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,950
71
  • Director
    • David Slade
  • Writer
    • Brian Nelson
  • Stars
    • Patrick Wilson
    • Elliot Page
    • Sandra Oh
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Slade
  • Writer
    • Brian Nelson
  • Stars
    • Patrick Wilson
    • Elliot Page
    • Sandra Oh
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 779User reviews
    • 244Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 13 nominations

    Videos2

    Hard Candy
    Trailer 2:22
    Hard Candy
    The Watchlist With Ellen Page
    Video 1:43
    The Watchlist With Ellen Page

    Photos69

    Elliot Page and Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page in Hard Candy (2005)
    Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page in Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page in Hard Candy (2005)
    Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page and Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page in Hard Candy (2005)
    Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy (2005)
    Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy (2005)
    Elliot Page, Patrick Wilson, and David Slade in Hard Candy (2005)
    Sandra Oh in Hard Candy (2005)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Patrick Wilson
    Patrick Wilson
    • Jeff Kohlveras Jeff Kohlver
    Elliot Page
    Elliot Page
    • Hayley Starkas Hayley Stark
    Sandra Oh
    Sandra Oh
    • Judy Tokudaas Judy Tokuda
    Odessa Rae
    Odessa Rae
    • Janelle Rogersas Janelle Rogers
    G.J. Echternkamp
    G.J. Echternkamp
    • Nighthawks Clerkas Nighthawks Clerk
    • (as Gilbert John)
    Cori Bright
    • Girl in Nighthawksas Girl in Nighthawks
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • David Slade
    • Writer
      • Brian Nelson
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    We Need to Talk About Kevin
    7.5
    We Need to Talk About Kevin
    An American Crime
    7.2
    An American Crime
    Thirteen
    6.8
    Thirteen
    Funny Games
    6.5
    Funny Games
    Juno
    7.5
    Juno
    Compliance
    7.7
    Compliance
    May
    6.6
    May
    Mouth to Mouth
    6.1
    Mouth to Mouth
    The Tracey Fragments
    6.0
    The Tracey Fragments
    The Virgin Suicides
    7.2
    The Virgin Suicides
    The Loved Ones
    6.6
    The Loved Ones
    Cube
    7.2
    Cube

    Storyline

    Edit
    After having online chat room chats for three weeks, "Thonggrrrl14" convinces "Lensman319" to meet in person in a public place, they being up front that they are a fourteen year old girl and thirty-two year old man respectively. They are indeed precocious fourteen year old Hayley Stark and thirty-two year old photographer Jeff Kohlver. Their interactions, including their meeting, are laced with indirect sexual innuendo, most specifically on Hayley's part, although Jeff is clear also in an indirect manner that he does not have sex with minors. Regardless, Hayley is further able to convince Jeff to continue their face-to-face at his place. There, both Hayley and Jeff's true intentions come to light, their meeting which was no accident on either side, and the intentions which may be incompatible and have serious and deadly consequences. —Huggo
    • strong female
    • manipulation
    • strong female lead
    • online dating
    • revenge
    • 303 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Strangers shouldn't talk to little girls.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Due to the controversial nature of the film, the budget was kept under a million dollars so the studio wouldn't ask to change anything.
    • Goofs
      Jeff's facial hair is noticeably thicker in the opening coffee shop scene than it is later in the day.
    • Quotes

      Jeff Kohlver: Look. I'm not the monster you think I am. But, okay, I crossed a line. Just call the cops. I'll turn myself in.

      Hayley Stark: [as if narrating a headline] Cute Pedophile Pleads Guilty.

      [speaking as a defense attorney]

      Hayley Stark: "Aww, it's not his fault. He's sick. He has an addiction."

      Jeff Kohlver: I'll do jail. Isn't, isn't that what should happen?

      Hayley Stark: Yeah. You might. You might get jail time. I dunno: therapy, drugs, group discussions, notifying people when you move into a new house. How bad is that, really?

      Jeff Kohlver: It'll ruin my career, ruin my life.

      Hayley Stark: Well, didn't Roman Polanski just win an Oscar?

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Wild/The Sisters/Kinky Boots/The Notorious Betty Page/Hard Candy (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Freak
      Written and Produced by Mark Bell

      Performed by LFO

      Published by Warp Music

      Courtesy of Warp Records

      Used by Permission of EMI Virgin Music, Inc.

    User reviews779

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    worth seeing
    I just screened this film at LGF last night. I was quite intrigued for the first forty minutes. Then it all kind of fell apart for me. In it's best moments this film explores the complexities of vengeance and psychology. It tries to be clever by pulling a role reversal -- but this eventually wears thin and the dialog becomes didactic and contrived. I still think it is worth seeing for the strength of the leads alone. Patrick Wilson does a fine job as a "suspected" pedophile. He elicits both sympathy and disgust. Ellen Page as the young girl is absolutely fantastic. Her performance is brilliant and even frightening at times. She's good even when the script can't match her talent. I look forward to seeing her in many films to come. Finally a young actress who is more than just a pretty face -- I'm so tired of the Natalie Portmans, the Hillary Duffs, and the Jessica Albas of the world. Good luck with your career Ms. Page.

    All in all, Hard Candy is worth seeing. Maybe I'm just a sucker for movies with tiny casts and realtime pacing. But there are some genuinely suspenseful moments in the film, although in the hands of lesser actors these scenes would disintegrate. And though I was annoyed by the contrivances and implausibilities of the script, I found myself the next day thinking about some of the issues raised therein.

    At times Hard Candy reminded me of Polanski's Death and the Maiden, though H.C. is nowhere near as good. Ellen Page's Haley character is similar to Sigourney Weaver's character in the Polanski film. Both women are terrifying through the cold precision of their revenge. The problem with the Haley character is that she would have to be supernatural to accomplish the things she does in this film. And of course if she was supernatural, we'd have a completely different film on our hands -- High Plains Drifter.
    helpful•150
    108
    • akillmzeier
    • Oct 12, 2005

    FAQ4

    • Why is the film titled "Hard Candy?"
    • Is there any significance to the red hooded top?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 28, 2006 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dulce venganza
    • Filming locations
      • Arclight Cinemas - 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lions Gate Films
      • Vulcan Productions
      • Launchpad Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $950,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,024,640
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $58,049
      • Apr 16, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,022,209
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Madonna's Daughter Lourdes Fires Back at "Thirst Trap" Comment After Joining Instagram
    Madonna's Daughter Lourdes Fires Back at "Thirst Trap" Comment After Joining Instagram
    Jan 22E! Online
    Ian McKellen Says He’s Disappointed He Wasn’t Sensitive To Elliot Page During X-Men: The Last Stand
    Ian McKellen Says He’s Disappointed He Wasn’t Sensitive To Elliot Page During X-Men: The Last Stand
    Jan 8We Got This Covered

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Hard Candy (2005)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for Hard Candy (2005)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.