As good as the main performances are, they're inevitably flatter than the language of the film's narrator.
Candy (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:36
Rotten:38
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Stars Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish look better than they should as heroin addicts, and their characters are too absorbed and self-pitying to be totally compelling.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for pervasive depiction of drug addiction, disturbing images, language, sexual content and nudity.
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Nov 17, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: In Neil Armfield's CANDY, Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish play Dan and Candy, two young bohemians who fall madly in love while shooting heroin together. In the beginning, the couple's days are... In Neil Armfield's CANDY, Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish play Dan and Candy, two young bohemians who fall madly in love while shooting heroin together. In the beginning, the couple's days are occupied with making love, shoplifting, and having a strung-out wedding day that ends with a lot of giggling over a couple of Big Macs. Despite Candy's disapproving parents, they cling to each other with a fierceness that shuts out any and all outside criticism. When funds or drugs are low they pop by the house of a pharmacology professor named Casper (Geoffrey Rush), who uses his professional expertise to supply them with pharmaceutical-grade heroin. As the reality of their addiction creeps to the forefront, they must turn to desperate measures to get their fix. Candy becomes a prostitute, and Dan a thief and con man. When Candy discovers she's pregnant, they decide to go cold turkey, but the horrific side effects of withdrawal result in a miscarriage. The two tumble into despair, and opt to move to the country to try methadone treatments. Candy's depression soon blooms into a full-blown nervous breakdown, and as her parents finally usher her into rehab, Dan returns to his friend Casper for comfort, only to find him dead of an overdose. Heroin abuse--with its soaring highs and inevitable crash--has been well-documented in many films. However, CANDY brings something fresh to the story with its focus on the doomed junkie love affair. Candy and Dan tumble into each other much in the same way they descend into addiction--with a white-hot, desperate need that blinds them to reality. It's a moving, realistic portrait of how that kind of all-encompassing, obsessive love can sometimes be just as powerful as any drug, and just as hard to kick. [More]
Starring: Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Blackwell
Starring: Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Blackwell, Tom Budge, Nathaniel Dean, Sandy Winton
Director: Neil Armfield
Director: Neil Armfield
Producer: Emile Sherman, Margaret Fink
Studio: ThinkFilm
Get This Movie
Reviews for Candy
[Heath Ledger] is alive and awake and interesting every minute of Candy.
In this brief, brutal moment of Candy's voice, the film is almost something new. But she exists, at last, beyond Dan and beyond Candy.
Never mind the neo-psychedelic-pop soundtrack and occasional double-vision cinematography: Dope just can't account for the film's fried brain cells.
For Ledger, it's the opportunity to do the sort of flat-out, high-risk role young actors often claim to be desperate for, but are rarely willing to chase.
This may be a good film to take the kiddies to if you want to scare them. Sort of like those car crash films in driver's ed. But it's generally not worth it.
... doesn't add anything substantively new to [the story of heroin addiction], though it has been nicely directed by Neil Armfield ...
In the end, Candy is a little too sweet and not quite harmful enough to the audience's health.
When the film ends, you may want to stay in the dark theater where you can simply dig a hole under your seat and not have to face the bad, bad world.
Though it's a well-worn story, Candy does touch on a universal anxiety. For two people basking in the heat of an all-consuming love, what happens when the power gets cut off?
Beautifully shot and wonderfully directed, Candy is a gut-wrenching, sobering, and passionate look at relationships, addiction, and one woman's journey down the rabbit hole.
I'm not sure there's a lot more to say about heroin addiction, but if there is, Candy doesn't say it.
... although there are some very striking moments in Neil Armfield's debut, there are simply not enough to keep us absorbed the way a movie should.
Candy is a terribly obvious road-to-ruin movie that's bound to produce cavities.
An Australian drama about two lovers addicted to heroin that offers no fresh insights into this obsession.
Dark, depressing and hard to watch at time ... solid performances, especially from Abbie Cornish, who may be the best new actress to materialize this year.
Latest News for Candy
March 13, 2007:
"Candy" Girl to be Bond's Next Flame?
Just in time for the DVD release of "Casino Royale" comes word, via IGN, of rumors regarding who'll vamp it up opposite Daniel Craig in the inevitable next Bond movie.... More...
December 07, 2006:
A Few Random "Dark Knight" Nuggets
Poor Heath Ledger is out there on the circuit trying to promote his indie flick "Candy" -- and all he's getting are "The Dark Knight" questions! Ah well, I... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Moviefone lists their top ten nude scenes from film in 2009.

Thomas Leupp offers us Hollywood.com's take on the best films of the year.

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



