Hard Candy (2005)

	Directed by: David Slade	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Hard Candy RUNNING TIME 100 minutes
	Produced by: Michael Caldwell David Higgins Richard Hutton Jody Patton
	Written by: Brian Nelson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Jeff Kohlver	Patrick Wilson
Hayley Stark	Ellen Page
Judy Tokuda	Sandra Oh

Review

This dumb, deliberately provocative picture opens as a remarkably well-acted and credible story about internet dating, centered around a 32-year-old man (Patrick Wilson) and a 14-year-old girl (Ellen Page). Early on, the film suggests some insight into the complexities of the taboo theme it explores. Continuing down this path, it could have become a powerhouse no matter which direction it had chosen. Instead, it takes a sharp turn and develops into a rather insensitive vigilante fantasy propelled forward by a character who comes off as a cross between Sherlock Holmes, Kevin McCallister, and Jigsaw from Saw. The main thematic line is vengeance and anti-pedophilia, but it's so heavy-handed and stripped of subtlety that it becomes difficult to watch and enjoy on a cerebral level. The film is more pro-vigilante justice than Dirty Harry or Death Wish, and our protagonist is not at all as plausible as Harry Callahan or Paul Kersey. The casting is perfect, and the acting has potency, but both Page and Wilson are defenceless against the implausible actions of their characters. Pedophilia and hebephilia are about to become pop culture in movies, but Hard Candy screenwriter Brian Nelson certainly is no Vladimir Nabokov.