Scrapple & Eggs

“Hard Candy” is a movie I’ve seen sitting on the shelves of my video store for months, but never figured worth the 4 bucks and change to rent. Just caught it “OnDemand” for free on Showtime OnDemand this evening.

I really liked this film.

The movie is more than slightly reminiscent of “Death and the Maiden”, where Sigourney Weaver believes she has captured the torturer/rapist from her days in an Argentine (supposedly) prison camp. That film unfolds like a 3 act play, where we watch Weaver ratchet up the stakes in an attempt to get a confession out of Ben Kingsley’s alleged evil “doctor”. The audience is left to keep guessing right up to the very end: Is He Or Isn’t He?

Much of the same thing here, with a few nods to Reese Witherspoon’s “Freeway” to boot.

Comparing “Hard Candy” to those two films doesn’t take away the fact that this film feels very much alive and fresh on its own.

From what I’ve learned, the term “Hard Candy” refers to underage girls on the internet (which makes me wonder how I’m going to do an Image search for a poster for this movie without ending up on some watch list).

As the film opens, we see only a computer screen with two screen names engaged in a provacative chat room conversation; Thonggrrrl 14 and Lensman319. The chat informs us that 14 year old Thonggrrrl is going to have her older sister drive her to the mall to meet the 32 year old Lensman. During the meeting, the camera slowly pans past a bulletin board with a “MISSING” poster for another local teenage girl.

The two end up at Lensman’s condo, and from there on out, it’s a taught, table turning, nail biting, wince inducing roller coaster ride. The Big Bad Wolf has definitely caught the WRONG Little Red Riding Hood.

 It would be impossible for me to overdo my praise for Ellen Page as Hayley aka Thonggrrrl.  The 18 year old Page looks the part of a 14 year old, and gives the character the all too believable guile of a teen with wisdom beyond her years. It is an electric performance that will cement this actress in the mind of any viewer, and hopefully, Hollywood casting directors, for years to come.

Patrick Wilson also gives a top notch performance as Jeff aka Lensman. Particularly because Jeff spends the majority of the film without any way to express emotion other than with his voice and face.

This film is far from perfect, and there are a few holes that require some work to maintain the suspension of disbelief. Which is why it’s a bit weird to say that it’s also very smart and doesn’t pander to the audience.

But any movie that is a 1 set, 2 character stage piece that bristles and pops the way this film does speaks volumes about the director, writer, cinematographer and actors. But make no mistake. This is Page’s movie through and through. She has made damn sure that nobody, NOBODY, ever forgets Thonggrrrl 14.

I first saw “Black Snake Moan” back in 1999. Only then, it was directed by Jane Campion and it was called “Holy Smoke”. It starred an incredibly sumptuous Kate Winslett as a troubled young woman with sex as her weapon and her weakness, and Harvey Keitel as the dedicated “deprogrammer”, intent on redeeming her while trying to elude her feminine wiles. Other than a heart palpitation inducing Winslett, that movie had nothing to offer, either.

 This time around, Christina Ricci plays the role of the wounded sex tart and Sam Jackson plays the role of her altruistic messiah.

Ricci plays Ray,  the trailer trash tease, to perfection. Except she’s no tease. She puts out. And out. And out. She has some sort of addiction to sex and being used by men. Can you guess what might have caused this? To say anymore would be to give away what you already know.

But she looks great. Lord, does she look great. As my Uncle Joe would say, she’s got a body that would make a bishop kick out a stained glass window. And Ricci really does nail the part. It’s a shame she’s given so little to work with here.

Same can be said about Sam Jackson as Lazarus. He wrings the most out of every action and line the script has to offer, but that’s simply not enough to save this film.

The plot, such as it is, centers around Ray being badly beaten after another night of booze, drugs, and fornication, and Laz finding her on the side of the road and nursing her back to health. Laz’s wife has left him for his younger brother, and he decides he’s not going to let Ray continue to destroy her life through reckless behavior and low self esteem any longer. So when Ray is healthy, Laz chains her to the radiator in the house so she can dry out, cold turkey, from the manly attentions she needs to feel validated.

 Throw in a disastrously codependent relationship between Ricci and Justin Timberlake, and what “Black Snake Moan” ultimately adds up to is the kind of cinematic doggerel best reserved for high school poetry. Particularly the ending, which is pure, unconvincing treacle.