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Hard Candy | 
 enlarge | Director: David Slade
Actors: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae, Gilbert John
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.50
You Save: $11.48 (77%)
New (59) Used (46) from $3.50
Rating:  206 reviews
Sales Rank: 9575
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: LGED20116D
UPC: 031398201168
EAN: 0031398201168
ASIN: B000GI3KGC
Theatrical Release Date: April 14, 2006
Release Date: September 19, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A mature 14 year old girl meets a charming 32 year old photographer on the internet. Suspecting that hes a pedophile she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 08/28/2007 Starring: Patrick Wilson Sandra Oh Run time: 103 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
The supercharged possibilities of a single set and two amped-up actors are explored in Hard Candy, a twisted cocktail with a poison kicker. After a flirtatious encounter in an online chat room, two people agree to meet for coffee: a 32-year-old man (Patrick Wilson) and a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page). They quickly advance to his house, and just as quickly, the apparent pedophilic seduction morphs into something else entirely. After the tables turn, Hard Candy becomes a tale of revenge and torture that might have tempted a filmmaker like Park Chanwook. Here, first-time feature director David Slade opts for a slick look that stays close to the actors, and you can't really blame him--this movie is like a conceptual, more-than-slightly unbelievable off-Broadway play, a showcase for actors and "controversial" ideas. Those actors are strong: Patrick Wilson (Angels in America, Phantom of the Opera) is every bit as creepy as he needs to be, and Ellen Page has nothing short of a triumph. The Canadian actress was around 18 when she shot the film, but looks like an adolescent, which makes her authoritative wrath all the more shocking to witness. The provocations of Hard Candy sometimes seem arbitrary or forced, but Page's electrifying performance can't be denied, or dismissed. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 201 more reviews...
 Mesmerizing thriller November 18, 2008
V. R. Hutter (Durham, NC)
Patrick Wilson shows his absolute astounding acting talent in this 2006 thriller and is 180 degrees different than the role he played as the viscount in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2004 masterpiece, Phantom of the Opera. Both Wilson and Ellen Page could not have played their parts better. Just when you think you know what is about to happen, there is a twist and this continues to the very end. If you like thrillers, if you like fantastic acting, directing and screenwriting you will love this movie. Note: there are no high-speed car chases or characters running for blocks; it relies instead on the storyline and getting you hooked from the first few minutes. This is a keeper!
 HARD CANDY leaves a bitter taste in Society's Mouth! November 7, 2008
Lawanda Bell (Niles, MI)
What? Where am I? Okay, did I just wake up from a Horrible Nightmare or what? I'm telling you right now, this so-called film can startle my dreams into HELL, litterally! I thought the story plot from this one would be harmless, boy, was I wrong. This was going way too far. Listen everybody, there's a positive way to handle a Blood-Curdling crisis and there's a negative way. Why does this movie have to hit very close to home anyway? I was very ashamed after this was over. It was very immoral,shocking,disturbing,anti-social,twisted,one-sided,out of line and very hard to swallow.(i'm not laughing.) Once Ellen Page's character was in the guy's house, she knew what she was doing. Because I kept telling myself that she had something up her sleeve, and I was right. That man was in for a Rude Awakening. The tables were turned, she was completely out of her rotten mind and she tried to find evidence against him. All she found, was one picture, one measley picture of an underage girl. This sets her character off, causing her to do the unthinkable to a man, who says he's innocent. This so-called film caused me to feel sorry for the guy. He's being tortured, accused, electricuted, humiliated, operated on and worst of all, horrified. He was the victem in all of this. The accuser was a rotten-minded teenage girl with a motive to bring a pedophile down to justice. I mean, for pete's sake she got away with stuff nobody should get away with. I couldn't put anything together to figure this film out. In reality, there are teens out there in the world who would NOT react the way Ellen's character did. Thank God there is help when you need it. Look guys, Spoiler or not, the victem dies, the accuser gets away scott-free and it's MESSED UP! I'm sorry, but this garbage needs to be banned, seriously. I don't believe I was drawn to it. What the hell happened to good ol' Drama movies? Does anybody know? Well, there's my answer: nothing. Anyway, I've seen the light. HARD CANDY showed its ugly face, and I was terrified! 2 thumbs down!
Hard Candy November 1, 2008
Benjamin J. Siess (jacksiwelville)
In "Juno", Ellen Page played the quirky, independent music loving girl, and I have to admit, I have a soft spot for that sort of thing. I was crushing on her a little bit. After seeing "Juno", the first thing I did was come home and IMDB her. This is how I found out about "Hard Candy".
"Hard Candy" is disturbing. Let's just get that out of the way. It's the anti-"Juno". This is not the lighthearted independent comedy where you leave the theater giggling. I bet that when the movie is over, at least 50% of people say the same thing I did, which was "Oh my God." It takes the revenge film genre and turns it on its head, much like Carrie did in the `70s. In most revenge movies, it's a big strong man who has something taken away from him and he spends the rest of the movie getting it back. Rarely ever is it a barely pubescent girl who is putting the fear in people, and when it is, they have super powers.
"Hard Candy" begins with Haley (Page) playfully flirting with Jeff (Patrick Wilson) online. It is clear from the beginning that we are watching a blooming pedophilic relationship. They agree to meet at a public place. Within the first minute of their encounter, Jeff wipes a bit of chocolate off of Haley's mouth and then licks his finger. He is not shy about what he wants from her and it is pretty damn uncomfortable to watch. Throughout the scene we see Jeff vacillate between treating her like she's a peer (giving the child a feeling of adultness) and treating her even younger than she is (letting her know who holds the power in the relationship). It's classic child predator behavior.
Haley passively gets Jeff to invite her back to his house, the whole time Jeff trying to make her feel more comfortable about leaving with him, but it is not necessary. She obviously wants to go with him and she is not at all worried about her own safety. The direction of the movie takes a sudden turn when they get to his home and Haley drugs him. He wakes up tied to a chair. For the rest of the movie, Haley terrorizes him while he begs for mercy and tries to explain why he is the way he is. She threatens to reveal to his ex-girlfriend that he's a pedophile. There is a scene where she shaves his pubic hair, numbs his crotch with a bag of ice, pulls out a scalpel, and let's just say it gets a little uncomfortable to have a penis and watch what she does.
Even though the tone of "Hard Candy" is so much different than that of "Juno", Page still delivers a dissonant charm while horrifying Jeff. The dialogue is almost always clever and I found myself giggling in spite of the darkness of the movie. The tone of the movie is pretty damn unique.
There are some people that are not going to like this film because of how upsetting it is. Others will hate it because of how cold the Haley character is and this coldness makes them dislike her in spite of the fact that the man she's terrifying is a pedophile and possibly a murderer. This is the point of the movie. There is supposed to be an internal conflict within the viewer about whether what Haley is doing is moral. The film maker does not seem to take one side or the other.
I really liked this movie, but I need to disclose that I'm a sucker for witty banter and revenge, something that few movies are able to combine (although "Lucky Number Slevin" and "Memento" both pull it off). If you just saw Juno and want more of the light-hearted fluffy goodness, try her newest film "Smart People". "Hard Candy" is not what you're looking for.
David Higgins, Producer November 1, 2008
prunechick (Wichita, KS USA)
David, darling, wonderful choice. That said, I wish it had ended earlier with an actual /.
Kissy
Her Sugar is Raw... Miss Last Stop Candy Shop October 20, 2008
DonMac (Lynn, MA United States)
A Death and the Maiden or Extremities for the pedophile generation. This still packs a punch, however. Wilson and Page are both great in this vicious cat-and-mouse thriller about a supposed pedophile and a young girl. Some very tense, squirm-inducing scenes and some sly direction come together for this satisfying thriller. Madonna and Guy Ritchie at play?
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