Recently an independent movie broke through the usual barriers that would hold it back and entered the mainstream becoming a box office hit. During its opening week in the United States it took more money than the movie cost. That movie was the tense thriller Hard Candy.
In an internet chatroom a 14 year old girl and a 32 year old man exchange messages, they have been doing so for three weeks. On this particular Saturday however the pair decide to take there relationship beyond the boundaries of the internet. Having similar interests in both music and literature it seems a logical thing to do; however the age issue needs some addressing.
The two meet in a coffee shop where after a couple of hours of discussion and conversation the two decide to go to the mans house, to further a musical interest. Over the course of the rest of the day the two play a dangerous cat and mouse game that exposes the fact that neither have been exactly honest.
I'd looked forward to seeing this movie having read several reviews on here; however what was made blatantly
apparent within 5 minutes of watching; the reviews here had told me far too much. Worse still I had learned the plot right the way through to the last five minutes. As a result I'm hoping that my review takes a certain precedence over the other opinions listed here, because despite most being incredibly well written the authors have unknowingly given away the biggest twists.
The movie has a highly controversial subject matter, but again it might actually not lead to where you may expect it to go. As a result those unknowing what the main plot of the movie is have reason to relate to both characters; in fact right the way through its so cleverly written that you cannot help but warm to both. While one is at an obvious disadvantage, you do feel a real empathy and want that character to rise above things and escape virtually unscathed.
19 year old Ellen Page who most will identify as being Kitty Pryde from the X-men movies turns out a staggering performance, and looks considerably younger in the movie than her age. If she continues on a similar path she could certainly be the next big thing leaving the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Scarlet Johansson in her wake. She displays all the factors and traits that a 14 year old girl would; and this is an incredible thing to do for a virtually unknown actress. Combine this with the revelation that the movie was made (from an acting point of view) in just 17 hours. Ellen pushes the scale of emotion from one extreme to another with staggering results; she is totally believable whichever emotion she displays.
Patrick Wilson who plays the 32 year old Jeff also shows a variety of emotions, but he had a history of more controversial movies behind him that have given him that ability and skill. Jeff is a really likeable guy, who seems very concerned with how things may look to outsiders in regards to the two of them. Again I expect that should Wilson continue along a similar path and not fall into the horror or comedy strand that one day an Oscar will be his.
Hard Candy is very much a two handed movie, with other actors putting in minimal performances. Certainly 90 minutes of the movie shows just Page and Wilson performing with each other; as thus I think that the less cultured viewer in respect of thriller movies may find this very hard viewing. The next area for addressing in my eyes is the ridiculous ending. It's a terrible disappointment, the ending requires a certain amount of participation by the then less in control character, the response to which is to me lacking in substance to create the response it gets; and as a result this ruins the good work of the previous 100 minutes. But again with little knowledge of the stories subject matter this may have a different response.
My final word to you dear reader, is that if you are reading about this movie for the first time don't be tempted to find out more before viewing. Don't discuss the movie with friends prior to viewing, and if your buying or renting then don't read the back cover or view the trailer prior to viewing.
Hard Candy is available due on DVD in the United Kingdom on September the 22nd; there are no special features with the exception of a trailer. Although the movie is still available at selected cinemas.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
![Hard Candy [VINYL] - Madonna](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/89885236.jpg "Hard Candy [VINYL] - Madonna")
Aug 14th, 2006
exceptional by (1%):
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (3%):
