She's got cojones (Hard Candy (DVD))

Member Name: theediscerning

Product:	Hard Candy (DVD)
Date:	27/06/06 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting premise...

Disadvantages: ... that ultimately fails

What would you think if a handsome, intelligent and witty 32 year old bloke met a 14 year old girl at a coffee shop, after only having "conversations" online with her in a chat room, and there were clear flirtiness and other indications in their talk that she would end up back at his place?

Would you decide to fear for *his* life?

Perhaps you should, if Hard Candy is anything like life. Hayley meets Jeff in the coffee shop, and they sit beneath an unnoticed poster for a missing girl. They're both smart - she carries medical student books, and seems to be advanced beyond her years, while he seems to know just how to deflect chat from anything too racey, and has certainly had experience in handling females - he's a fashion photographer.

However she does drop in innuendo, and apologetically flirty looks from under her boyish fringe. And we soon see the horrible decor in his bedroom.

But things are not what they seem... Her knowledge that juniors in unknown homes should mix their own drinks comes into play. And she knows what she intends to do with the medical books, in an extended scene which this op's title might suggest.

This film stands or falls on your response to the plot, and the acting that brings it to life. Unfortunately it seems that all the publicity has announced too much of the plot for this writer's taste - we know the real predator in the film is the avenging angel, and he seems to be a paedophile getting his just deserts.

It would appear from reading Total Film the other month that the creators - the writer and director - wanted you to be afraid for the girl, before your allengiances switch, and in a Daily-Mail baiting circumstance, you start to gun for the bloke under threat. This does not happen. The only swing in the film is from the agreeable pleasantness in the coffee shop, to her going nuts. Why have half a small mood-swing, when we could have had a full one?

The novelty of the person-in-peril film being focussed on a white, rich, successful bloke in his own home - as opposed to generic baby-sitters in their own nighties - is not enough. But the film would be a lot worse if it weren't for the main stars.

Jeff is played by Patrick Wilson, who you won't know, as if that's important. He does receive a lot of punishment, and again according to the press, was game for everything bar one stunt. With the film seeming to determine the fact that he is a kiddy-fiddler (well, with pink bedroom walls, wasn't it obvious??!!) it's a brave role for a handsome chap to play. Who would want that on their CV for long?

However the honours really go to Ellen Page. Yes, Kitty Pryde (in X3), with a boy's haircut, action film star's vest-top, and a heck of a lot of bitter, visceral hatred to deliver. She really seems to live the smart lines, even when the character's at her worst. Despite being not of age when she made the film, she's a woman you'd not want to meet - played by a woman you'd want to cast.

It's a tight, compact film - witness the efforts made to make sure the coffee shop staff are characters but don't say anything, to cut on the budget for extras. When the neighbour pops up it's only a mistake, as we have settled into the slightly claustrophobic, worrisome events in the home. We're sitting wondering how his escape will be made, how far she'll go before her success comes about - depending on whose side we're on.

However there's a missed opportunity here. We should have a surprise, for one. The script, by TV writer Brian Nelson, bears lots of signs of being intelligent, but just doesn't grab you enough to force you to follow it. David Slade, like most cinema directors these days a past-maker of music videos, does OK, and keeps his flashy scenes to when they're not getting in the way of anything. However by the time we've been presented with the allegedly brilliant moralistic cliff-hanger of the end, both script and direction have suffered too much from blunt edges.


Theed saw Hard Candy at a free preview screening a few weeks ago. His thoughts on the film, and the fact that it's an 18, that rarest of certificates these days, led to him being surprised to see it all over the multiplexes a fortnight ago. It's also surprising that it's still there. It took more money in three days in the UK that it did in eight weeks in the US, so perhaps they were right to market the film with too much plot given away.

Hard Candy will work in the cinema, but only just - take friends to wince along with, and you can leave debating the flaws of the film (as in the chat-room messages appearing to be typed far too quickly). It might be more successful on DVD, where genre films can sometimes find their real territory. The tight, minimalist grit and the acting will be heightened. Plus for a gang of you, it'll be a darn sight cheaper.

Hard Candy will not work as a date movie.

Theed gives it two and a half stars. Fine acting (although people can dispute that as well), a compelling possibility, but a let-down, really. Don't dismiss it completely, but you can't possibly get too keen on it. As a cinema purchase, not recommended.

Summary: Man meets girl, and regrets it.