What I Rented - Hard Candy

Hard Candy tries to follow a difficult road, but unfortunately takes a few too many lefts when it should be taking rights. It’s the story of a man, Jeff, (Patrick Wilson) who has lured a 14 year old girl, Hayley, (Ellen Page), by way of Internet chat rooms, to meet him at a restaurant. He takes her back to his house, they have a few drinks, and before long he’s passed out. When he wakes up he finds that the innocent little girl he was trying to take advantage of is a tough as nails crusader who has some nasty surprises in store for him.

Hard Candy’s biggest accomplishment is in its casting. Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page are fantastic together before the script goes completely over the top. Wilson has the difficult task of trying to make his character, a sexual predator, charming and creepy at the same time, and he does so remarkably. One of the film’s big mysteries is just how far Jeff has gone with his past encounters, and it’s a true testament to Wilson’s performance that I could envision him being both innocent and guilty.

Page has the more showy role; the innocent ingénue turned avenging attacker, and in the early scenes she is extremely convincing. She plays the little girl with a hint more wisdom than a girl her age should have, yet she never loses sight of the fact that she is 14.

These early scenes are sharply written, tense, and stem naturally from the characters’ motivations. About halfway through the movie though, I started to feel like certain lines of dialogue and situations were being imposed on the story. Hayley’s voice slowly starts to feel like the voice of a much older character and her actions become far more unbelievable (is she really that clever or that strong?). These changes take away from the credibility the film has established, and lead the movie toward a contrived ending that I didn’t believe for one second.

By the end, the film succumbs to shock value, and the carefully nuanced writing becomes abrasive and by-the-numbers (even resorting to the clichéd neighbour-just-decided-to-stop-by scene). It’s a shame because when Hard Candy isn’t trying so hard, it’s one of the more engrossing thrillers of recent memory.

Star Rating **1/2 (out of 4 stars)