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Hard Candy

  • 2005
  • R
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
172K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,182
1,035
Elliot Page in Hard Candy (2005)
Theatrical Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer2:22
1 Video
71 Photos
Psychological ThrillerDramaThriller

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.

  • Director
    • David Slade
  • Writer
    • Brian Nelson
  • Stars
    • Patrick Wilson
    • Elliot Page
    • Sandra Oh
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    172K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,182
    1,035
    • Director
      • David Slade
    • Writer
      • Brian Nelson
    • Stars
      • Patrick Wilson
      • Elliot Page
      • Sandra Oh
    • 805User reviews
    • 247Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos1

    Hard Candy
    Trailer 2:22
    Hard Candy

    Photos71

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    + 66
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    Top cast6

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

    User reviews805

    7.0172K
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    Featured reviews

    6catalyst11225

    Annoying

    I thought Elliot Page's acting was amazing. Her character was annoying and made me want to root for "Jeff" despite the circumstance. "Hayley" was not developed enough and made you wonder why do all that? Ending was flawed, Jeff could have easily chosen a different outcome or at least try to.. Could have been a really great movie but they wasted the potential.. 6/10 mostly for the acting.
    Phil_Chester

    Very difficult to like

    This is a very difficult film to like. It deals with tricky issues, features some committed performances, but ends up adding up to less than the sum of its parts. Overall, not worth sitting through.
    7akillmzeier

    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.
    6varundelpiero

    Tasteless, pointless; nothing more than an overly dramatic revenge flick...

    At the centre of HARD CANDY (no pun intended) is the burning question: Whose side are you on? The sick, manipulative, and twisted pedophile, or the sadistic, unnecessarily cruel, and psychotic sociopath? Either way, you, the viewer, lose, so what's the point, right? I mean, any film that almost compels the neutral viewer to support the pedophile is just tasteless and baseless. This film is completely biased, and is essentially a sadistic revenge flick catered only to those who have been affected adversely by pedophiles. I will not try to spoil the ending, because, let's face it, there is nothing to spoil. The movie is predictable and cheesy and the ending is of no consequence.

    Then there's this: if viewers are supposed to believe that a petite fourteen year old girl is capable of such things, then at the very least, she should have the power to consent to sexual intercourse, right? I'm not taking sides or suggesting anything of an immoral or grotesque nature, but the movie is quite contradictory in the sense that a mere fourteen year old is capable of devising and implementing such horrific and well-thought plans, which makes her essentially seem as an adult, and which ruins the whole message the movie was supposed to convey.

    Perhaps David Slade should stick to five-minute music videos, as a full length feature is well beyond his capacity.

    And, for the record, what was the point of Sandra Oh? This has to be one of the more pointless and awkward cameos I have ever seen. And I actually admire Sandra Oh.

    There are a few good things though: the story actually plays out properly (in a cinematic/screenplay sense only, though it gets weaker and less watchable as it progresses), the character interaction is absorbing, and the acting is top-notch (Patrick Wilson is awesome in this film; Ellen Page is quite annoying and sickening but does her job well). But really, what was the point? There were so many questions left unanswered that there was no genuine catharsis. The so-called ending is cheap and rather blunt and purposeless.

    I think 4/10 is a generous score. This film gets 2 stars (out of 4; also generous). Even if I made a Top 1000, this film would not come close to making the cut. Recommended only for viewers who have been affected by pedophiles. Everyone else will feel robbed of their time. I was expecting much better seeing as a trustworthy source recommended this; I will now take future recommendations from this source with a pinch of salt.

    David Slade, you suck. This movie sucked. I had planned to watch your latest feature, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, but I may just make a pass. Go back to music videos. I actually enjoyed STP's 'Sour Girl' video...
    6TheMovieMark

    Not the easiest film to watch...

    Well. That was disturbing. Though it is not one to recommend for "Family Night," Hard Candy offers an intriguing one-time viewing thanks to the effectiveness of its two-man show approach. Let's make that a one-man, one-girl show. I don't need a rash of emails reminding me of my chauvinism.

    What the filmmakers have done is said, "Hey, Patrick Wilson! Ellen Page! We're placing the two of you in a restricted space and putting the entire movie on your shoulders. Best of luck!" Granted, I'm paraphrasing, but this is no exaggeration. There are a total of five people in the movie, and only Wilson and Page are given more than five minutes of screen time. Given this challenge, the two thespians more than hold their own.

    I don't know if Wilson should take this as a compliment, but he's very convincing as a dangerously innocent-seeming pedophile. What makes him so creepy is his charm. He's a smooth, suave sexual predator. Most young girls are smart enough to do wind sprints the moment they see a dirty, unkempt man who looks to be carrying more diseases than Paris Hilton.

    But Wilson is a good-looking, successful photographer. He can't be bad, right? "You look older than you are, and you certainly act older than you are," he tells Hayley, perfectly manipulating her young, fragile emotions. And hey, he can't be dangerous. After all, he obviously has the most innocent of intentions! Why else would he reassure her that he's aware of the legal boundaries? She's puddy in his hands.

    This all starts quietly enough, but once they get to his house gears are shifted and everything goes haywire. That's all I'm revealing regarding the story, but I do have to give kudos to Ms. Page who turns in an impressive performance. I did feel she was a bit too precocious and world-wise at times, but she still does a great job showcasing a wide range of emotions of this potential young victim.

    Despite the interesting concept of the two-person show, it clearly has its limitations. At 103 minutes this is just way too long. After a while it becomes too obvious that certain scenes and lines of dialogue are, like most songs on recent Rolling Stones albums, inserted for no other reason than to serve as filler. The worst example being a scene involving Sandra Oh's neighbor character. The only purpose it serves is to deliver a little faux drama. That subplot is dropped faster than Britney Spears' baby, never to be heard from again.

    Hard Candy refuses to send you prancing home with a smile on your face or a song in your heart, but if nothing else it serves as a strong warning that you should probably pay close attention to who your kids are communicating with online. At least warn them that sometimes the person they least suspect could be the one to be most wary of.

    A quick word of warning to all you guys: there is one particular scene where what we perceive is happening will absolutely make you squirm in your seat. You'll most likely watch it through squinted eyes. I haven't felt that uncomfortable at the theater since the My Own Private Idaho fiasco. I suggest you be prepared.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On the DVD commentary Patrick Wilson recalled that while filming on the roof, he had to shoot a scene where he yells, "You're not gonna shoot me," five times. After the third or fourth take someone within earshot - not part of the film crew - called the police thinking an actual attack was occurring.
    • Goofs
      Jeff's facial hair is noticeably thicker in the opening coffee shop scene than it is later in the day.
    • Quotes

      Jeff Kohlver: God, who are you?

      Hayley Stark: It's hard to say for sure. Maybe not a Calabasas girl. Maybe not the daughter of a med school professor.

      Jeff Kohlver: Maybe not even a friend of Donna Mauer.

      Hayley Stark: Maybe not even named Hayley.

      [Jeff sighs and looks around in desperation]

      Jeff Kohlver: Who the hell are you?

      Hayley Stark: I am every little girl you ever watched, touched, hurt, screwed, killed.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: 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.

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    FAQ22

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    • 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
      • Niña mala
    • Filming locations
      • Arclight Cinemas - 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(parking structure)
    • Production companies
      • Lionsgate
      • 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

    Tech specs

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

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