Hard Candy (2006)
A cat-and-mouse psychotic thriller as incisive as it is stylish, Hard Candy delivers a provocative take on the revenge drama while jangling nerves at every turn. The film plunges us into an unstable universe where we cannot readily identify the "good guy" in the tense confrontation between a 14-year-old girl and the 32-year-old man she suspects of pedophilia and murder. (Lionsgate)
Cast and Information
Directed By: David Slade
Written By: Brian Nelson
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Sandra Oh, Elliot Page, G.J. Echternkamp, Cori Bright, Odessa Rae, Gilbert John
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime
Country: USA
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Hard Candy belongs to 31 collections
1. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)
2. B-Movie (collaborative - 15 stars)
3. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
4. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
5. Very Small Cast (collaborative: moderated by shalev - 5 stars)
6. Filmsite.org - Sex in the Movies, An Illustrated History (collaborative: moderated by afx237vi - 5 stars)
7. Psychotic women (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 5 stars)
8. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
9. Torture Porn (collaborative: moderated by Leatherface - 4 stars)
10. Capsules, guest reviews, list candidates... (366weirdmovies) (collaborative: moderated by sesito71 - 4 stars)
11. Terrific 'Dialogue-Heavy' Films (public: nicolino - 3 stars)
12. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)
13. gork movies to get (public: gork - 1 star)
14. allah (x4) bu nasıl sevmek (public: egebasaran - 1 star)
15. Sitges: Best Film (collaborative: moderated by Tostadora)
16. Second Chance (collaborative)
17. Want to see -- Revenge (collaborative: moderated by nauru)
18. Two-hander (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
19. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)
20. Castration (collaborative: moderated by chronoos)
21. 4: Rewatches (public: KasperL)
22. My DVDs (public: Kavu)
23. Favorites: Underrated (public: KasperL)
24. Owned Films (public: TheSaberfool)
25. 2005: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
26. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 33 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
27. Films I watched in 2010 (public: jal90)
28. Netflix to watch (public: lexwhitfield)
29. Fiumabe (public: Schmidiator)
30. Unofficially Beating The World Record For Most Films Watched in a Year (public: EsperHart)
31. must watch (public: gintokidai)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
Moribunny | 5 2nd |
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Just loathesome. The writing is terrible, the cookie-cutter directing incorporates all the tested cliches to look "stylish", unwarranted as they may be, and the movie is morally misguided to put it gently. The performances didn't blow me away either.
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| 5 |  |
doctor7 | 81 74th |
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Without a doubt the film is superbly stylish from the moment it starts with it's "Little Red Riding Hood" theme. Ellen Page's performance starts off somewhat weak but I found she progressed by the end of the film to be incredibly engrossing. Honestly I found Patrick Wilson to be absolutely amazing. It's a very strange movie experience because one's hard-pressed to find a character they can really sympathize with. Of course that's one of the reasons it's so damn good.
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| 5 |  |
Pickpocket | 1 12th |
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I love how people say Slade's intent is so clever but yet this is a 2 hour anti-pedophilia ad. Who in our society doesn't agree with that? This is pretty unrealistic and very tough to enjoy. But hey, girl power - right?
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| 5 | katje | 40 14th |
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Here we have a character so unlikable that she inspires sympathy for a paedophile simply because he, too, is being forced to hear her speak.
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| 5 |  |
Jasongirl67 | 75 69th |
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Is vigilante justice the answer for creepy pedophiles?.....That's where the genius of this film lies, it lets you decide Fun cat and mouse game between the two leads and I promised myself no spoilers But I'm fairly sure some men will probably leave this movie squirming
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| 4 |  |
TripleSH | 90 90th |
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Disturbing in the same vein as Audition, yet very stylish and well-written. For what is essentially a two-person play, it keeps the viewer's interest for the duration of the film, and that is a testament to the filmmaking process. The beauty of Hard Candy comes from the fact that the writers and director were content with leaving the audience with questions long after they provided all the answers they felt like giving.
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| 4 |  |
teknicolor | 5 3rd |
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Not only was this movie torturously long, the dialogue was often trite, and the young Miss was an unbelievable, static character. Only Wilson's character had any sort of dynamic, but unfortunately even that was cut short by the absolute shite which is the movie's overcomplicated, exposition-less script.
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| 4 |  |
TedDedon | 15 5th |
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Honestly this is one of the most unrealistic unenjoyable movies I've ever seen in my life. They sacrifice true tension for cheap thrills and the subject matter is indecent to say the least. If they're going to tiptoe along such harsh content they should do it maturely.
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| 4 |  |
miss jesus | 14 2nd |
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Infuriating, wishy-washy revenge film. Aspires to twists, but can't commit to a plot point to begin with, so who cares. Has this edgy subject matter, but can't decide what it wants the audience to feel, in turns making each character look like the transgressor--not exactly helpful for a revenge film. Amateurish garbage.
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| 4 |  |
Kusanagi | 80 69th |
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Does it make me a bad person if I actually wanted Wilson to beat Page senseless? Teenagers today, I swear....
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| 4 |  |
Paxton | 65 45th |
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Fatal Attraction meets the Parent Trap. Oh, God. I just threw up in my mouth.
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| 3 |  |
TheDenizen | 30 11th |
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A dangerously psychotic lunatic captures a delusional narcissistic pedophile, and they talk and talk and talk until eventually one of them kills themselves, presumably to end the boredom. A stupefying film that seems to have nothing to say about the two terrible people it shows us. Has a couple of tense moments, but none of it is exciting, fun or thought provoking. It's certainly not as clever as it clearly wants you to think it is. Ellen Page is a fine actress, but this was a bad choice.
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| 3 | FlorVdE | 0 4th |
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Hilariously overwrought dialog, a pointless and misguided plot (nothing anyone does makes any sense, even though they spent a lot of time explaining their internal motivation to the audience), starring two cartoonish wooden characters and the Asian woman from Grey's Anatomy as the most redundant character ever to appear on film. I was also not surprised to see the director is mostly known for making (rather shoddy) music videos. Avoid at all costs.
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| 3 |  |
auritech | 92 94th |
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Deliciously disturbing tale of psychological warfare. The excellent performances, occasionally frenetic moments, and the interesting usage of color (heavy uses of red and pale blue) provide the scenery around this engrossing film. Simply brilliant.
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| 3 |  |
roujin | 50 34th |
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I was rooting for Ellen Page because I am a huge fan of "castration on film."
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| 3 |  |
KasperL | 90 97th |
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I love when filmmakers are able to command my attention with the absolute basics: great script writing and pitch perfect acting. So chamber plays, when done well, are just down my alley. I reject the notion that a film being too much like theater is a valid criticism. It's the drama and the suspense that makes 'Hard Candy' an exceptional movie. Thus, David Slade and Jo Willems' amazing framings are merely the sugarcoating around this delicious treat. Wildly underrated.
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| 3 |  |
luc | 72 80th |
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Great perfomances but what a sick movie was that !
I could not believe what an incredible, sick story I was looking at. In the middle of the movie I was so angry at this 14 year old kid. A sadistic, hard and unrealistic movie, but you have to watch this one as a sadistic fairytale.
Some people in Belgium say that E.Page will be a great superstar in the future.
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| 3 |  |
aney | 48 52nd |
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It starts of great but by the second half it gets stale and slightly boring. With the subject matter I expected it to be much more interesting. The girls character is annoying, unbelievable and unlikable. And the ending is just laughable. All in all a mediocre film that didn't live up to my expectations.
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| 2 |  |
mdruskin | 81 76th |
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Excellent thriller. Very tense and suspensful. Acting by Ellen Paige is fantastic! I don't think it really makes any meaningful pedophilia comments (certainly not as strong as The Woodsman), but it works very well as a psychological thriller.
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| 2 |  |
willofgaia | 0 0th |
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Awful and utterly offensive. It tries to depict a serious subject but winds up making the pedophile the hero -- there is no ambiguity here, no matter how much the filmmakers want there to be -- and also revels in the sensationalistic approach it takes. The worst film I've ever seen.
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| 2 |  |
GravyMaximus | 30 16th |
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GIRL POWER BITCH HEHEHE
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| 2 |  |
th_mertens | 75 68th |
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Very intelligent movie. I think it's pretty hard to make such a dynamic film with just 2 actors and one environment. Also the character of Elle Page is great, as is the performance.
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| 2 |  |
nandorizzi | 80 80th |
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A sensational duel between two deep and complex characters.
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| 2 |  |
Vandelay1 | 75 86th |
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Nice
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| 2 |  |
pewbeng | 42 31st |
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Silly, shallow flick. I really just wanted to punch Ellen Page the whole time. Still do.
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| 2 |  |
Matthew Parkinson (CineMarter) | 70 77th |
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Hard Candy is a solid revenge flick about a girl attempting to toy with and teach a lesson to a suspected pedophile. Hard Candy does not dance around that subject matter, and instead faces it head on. The acting is top-notch, and although none of the characters are ones you want to root for, that doesn't really detract from the way the film tells its story. Although dialogue driven, it manages to keep up the thriller mentality by keeping the audience engaged and tense at the same time.
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| 1 | SomewhatItay | 33 9th |
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A conservative, visually timid and almost fascist revenge film, representing america's paranoia and hysteria concerning pedophiles with a superficial "indie" style. I'll give it credit that it does makes you wonder at times where its sympathy lies (and keeps you interested even when it goes off track), but by the end it becomes all too clear, and infuriating. This is no "Audition" to say the least (most notably lacking Miike's manic glee and black humor).
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| 1 |  |
SmooveJ | 73 24th |
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Stylish thriller that left me squirming, but by the end I wanted both characters to die. Ridiculous script, but a decent film in spite of this.
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 60 62nd |
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Very good.
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| 1 |  |
Kojiless | 34 35th |
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There's no one to like in this movie. I even hated the lady with the cookies! There's a guy screaming in the background! Wake up! $6.00 for cookies mass-produced in an Alabama peanut factory!? Absurd!
Pretty nice psychological thriller, though. I'm never going online again.
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| 1 |  |
ozymandius10 | 51 23rd |
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I liked the look of the movie, and actually thought it started out really well. Patrick Wilson surprised me with his ability to make what should be a villain a sympathetic character, and he was easily the best part of the film. Ellen Page, on the other hand, was beyond annoying. Part of it was the screenplay, but most of it was the Page you've seen before, just amplified. The ending was awful, and it's pretty sad that any film could make you root for a damn pedophile over a would be victim.
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| 1 |  |
Derekstar | 90 85th |
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Um, holy shit. I had no idea what this movie was about. And then I saw what it's about. And then I got frightened.
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| 1 |  |
Alex Watkins | 3 38th |
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14-year-old girl entraps pedophile, tortures him while we cheer on...or not. This is a lot more complex than simple wish fulfillment - yes, it's easy to recognize that Pedophilia Is Bad, but vigilante justice and torture are hardly virtuous in their own right. The movie's success isn't in being "daring" or "shocking" (though it's very, very intense), but in making you question the ethical boundaries being crossed by each character (in a pair of powerhouse performances). Pretty damn good.
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| 1 | paxtenebrae | 82 36th |
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At no point do you feel comfortable in your own skin while watching this. I gleefully exalted in the young woman's seeming insanity as she tortures a man she claims is a pedophile and all but applauded when I got to the final moments of the film and the diabolic plan brewing in her twelve-year-old brain was revealed. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie (and more than a little disturbed.)
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| 1 |  |
Classicista | 80 87th |
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Like Oleander or Lolita before it, this movie plays with your emotions, leaving the nasty taste of sympathy for the devil on your mental palate. This movie may be the very antithesis of a date movie. Watch in mixed company at your own risk.
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| 1 |  |
Vesey | 70 37th |
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Interesting premise, but it's really a lot of filler would have worked better as a short film
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| 1 |  |
gtown1479 | 59 17th |
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Wow. Shock value is there. It def got my attention, and that boosts the score a slight bit, but a good portion of this movie I just had to fast forward through because it was too painful to watch (and that hurt my personal score for it). I think Page did a good job acting pretty psychotic, but since I couldn't bear watching portions of it I can't be 100% sure. The portion of this film that was tough to watch for me seemed to drag on forever, too. If that was the point then I didn't like it.
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| 1 |  |
Barthalen | 53 30th |
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Starts off pretty strong and uncomfortable, but begins to wobble during the middle and completely collapses in the last third. Its warped message about vigilante retribution left a sour taste, and the points it tries to make are vague at best. Wilson was effective but Page grew tiresome quickly. Just shut your way-too-smart-for-a-14-year-old mouth, woman!
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| 1 | tomoscaradog | 12 3rd |
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Tripe. Tries to tackle tricky subject matter, but turns it into a comedy of awful dialogue and retarded characters. I don't understand the acclaim this gets, this is one of the worst films I've ever seen.
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| 1 |  |
whatismyname | 70 77th |
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Another great performance by Ellen Page
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| 1 |  |
muzak66 | 76 54th |
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I thought it was a very good movie and Ellen Page was actually great playing a crazy teenage girl.
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| 1 |  |
Gilly | 70 50th |
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had it lenghts but is a good thriller!
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| 1 |  |
Judo Koala | 25 2nd |
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One of the most insipid reflections on paedophilia I have ever witnessed. Don't even get me started on the awful script (with great cheeseball one-liners such as "Play time...is O-VER!"), cliched 'stylish' cinematography (fuck the Shakicam), and Overacting 101 on Page's part. Never mind how ridiculously contrived the series of events become, with Page's constant scheming passing the line of absurdity. Complete garbage.
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| 1 |  |
brittanyb925 | 20 5th |
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What the actual fuck
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| 1 |  |
hellboy76 | 68 65th |
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Uncomfortable film. It doesn't always work, but I found the intent to be effective. Page was competent and Wilson was pretty good. I think the dialogue worked against the menace of the story at several points though.
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| 1 |  |
SpikyCactus | 90 95th |
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Top badass moment? Ellen Page being Paul Kersey being Judge Dredd. But more importantly, Jeff's home is just so neat and tidy. How does he manage that? Mine is full of crap and junk and it's not like I'm even a horder or anything. In my home dust seems to settles quicker than I can remove it, whilst Jeff looks like he lives in an Ikea store. And where does he store everything? And also, they're biscuits, not bloody cookies! Steel underpants anyone? No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.
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| Average Percentile 50.29% from 4293 Ratings |  |