Hard Candy

Pros: Decent Dialogue. Interesting Concept.
Cons: Weak plot, flat characters, not believable, slow pace, boring.

I endured 103 minutes of torture last night. I mean that two ways. This movie contains some disturbing (although non-graphic) torture. Watching this film was also torturous. I was intrigued by the premise and the sharp dialogue, which made me keep ...

Pros: Great acting, original story, very tense
Cons: Brutal

Hard Candy is a harsh psychological thriller about a pedophile (Patrick Wilson) who learns a tough lesson at the hands of a young girl (Ellen Page). The art on the DVD cover, which features a young girl standing like bait in the middle of a bear ...

Pros: Riveting Story
Cons: a few plot points don't ring true

Every once in a while an Indie film comes along and takes me by surprise. One that I just can't stop thinking about. Hard Candy was such a film. A simple tale of revenge? A cat and mouse game? A turn of events? A psychological thriller? It is actually a ...

Pros: New actress Ellen Page's performance as a 14 year-old avenger. Camera work, editing, and music.
Cons: Brian Wilson's screenplay.

NEWS ITEM: "Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Posted: 1538 GMT (2338 HKT) "Department of Homeland Security deputy press secretary Brian J. Doyle faces extradition to Florida. "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Department of Homeland Security official was arrested ...

Pros: Direction, Script, Look, Editing, Cinematography, Tone, & Performances from Wilson & Page.
Cons: Might Be Too Intense for Some.

The legendary story of Lolita by author Vladimir Nabokov tells the tale of a middle-aged professor and his sexual obsession with a young teenage girl. The book was popular, largely due to its controversy, that it spawned two different film ...

Pros: ........
Cons: .........

This is one of those rare movies that both repulses you, yet draws you in.  The subject matter is quite intense but not nearly as intense as the result.   After watching this I finally understand how people can be drawn into the crowd ...

Pros: As a horror film it's a cleansing rain that truly WILL make you squirm
Cons: none

Credited cast: Patrick Wilson .... Jeff Kohlver Ellen Page .... Hayley Stark Sandra Oh .... Judy Tokuda Odessa Rae .... Janelle Rogers (as Jennifer Holmes) Gilbert John .... Nighthawks Clerk (more) First off, "Hard Candy" ...

Pros: Good acting
Cons: horrible script and directing

It wasn't so long ago that people believed in monsters, or at least were able to suspend their disbelief long enough to be scared by a fantasy about them. Nowadays, though, we're so hip that we laugh at vampires, werewolves and such; even the slashers ...

Pros: Not this time.
Cons: They'll only let me put in fifteen words, read review.

I was really excited about seeing this movie. I mean come on, older male young teenager scenario…how can it go wrong? Well, in short, it can. I would like to take this time to give a warning. First off, I don’t usually review films that I ...

Pros: First two-thirds. Direction. Performances.
Cons: Last third.

I've only seen Hard Candy once, and that was over six months ago. Yet I still feel a chill whenever I think of the film. That alone is a testament to its effectiveness. It'd be criminal to give away anything that happens after the first 15 ...

Pros: Ellen Page, plot, dialouge.
Cons: Men and Women will take different sides.

This is one of those little gems. A small film shot in only 18 days, but has performances that will stick with you for a life time. The movie begans in a chat room, by just reading the character's display names "thonggrrrl" you start off with a ...

Pros: Audacious
Cons: Acting, contrived, unconvincing, morally repugnant, formulaic

Some people’s idea of a great night at the movies; 14 year-old Ellen Page (with one of those annoying haircuts that makes her look like a 9 year-old boy) meets a 30ish photographer (Patrick Wilson) online, and they start chatting away, until she ...

Pros: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
Cons: The world may never know.

Hard Candy is more like a wrestling match than a movie. It's a battle of wills, mostly – but it's really heavily unbalanced. One of the two characters is too simply powerful, too quick, too unbeatable; it's simply not any fun watching Andre ...

Pros: Good DVD extras, Exceptional acting, Well-written and directed
Cons: Not at all entertaining, Deeply disturbing, Utterly gruesome

Every now and then, I encounter something as a reviewer that I find so horrific and grotesque that my kneejerk reaction is to pan it into oblivion and strongly recommend against seeing it. The thing is, there are some works which are terrible and ...

Pros: The creativity and originality in the script.
Cons: It was a bit rough because of the low budget.

"Hard Candy" Directed by: David Slade

Hayley Stark (14) and fashion photographer, named Jeff (32)have been chatting on-line for 3 weeks. They agree to meet at Nighthawks a local coffee shop. Hitting it off, despite an age difference, they decide to head to his home. Up to this point is seems that its your typical pedophile flick, until at his home Hayley proves to be less innocent than he believed. In a story of manipulation and pedophilia, this movie gives you a non-traditional look at the dangers of when a man seeks the love of a child.


"Hard Candy" is a low budget film, that was nicely produced. The direction had a strong style, that made up for the lack of finance. The story was a solid thriller with an interesting look at pedophilia.. but with an emphasis, to how different young women may be, in our day.
Ellen Page did a strong performance as the flirty girl that is more than what she seems. Patrick Wilson was believable as the older man.. and seeing as how the script held only about five actors, he did a strong job at keeping the story leveled.



-ZeN