Candy DVD with Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush (R) +Movie Reviews +Used DVD available for Swap

White Candy

Daitokuji31 | Black Glass | 02/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Back in 2002 I went through a phase in which I wanted to read novels concerning heroin addiction. I read Ryu Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue, William S. Burroughs' Junky and Queer, and Hunter S. Thompson's, more about excessive drug use than heroin addiction, one after the other. I am not quite sure how I came across Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, but its green cover depicting nothing more than a couple of rusted spoons fascinated me and I purchased the novel and read it over a couple of days. I must say while the book was not quite as well written as some of the previous books that I have mentioned, Candy had some of the most grueling and wretched chapters that I have ever read concerning both withdrawal and filth that total addiction can become. (There was a scene in the book when the narrator had to pull out crabs from one of Candy's most private areas in the novel which, of course, did not make it into the film) Sow when I heard that Candy had been made into a film I was on it like white on rice.

Candy opens with Dan, Heath Ledger, a friend, and his girlfriend Candy getting ready to take some heroin. Dan chops up the dope finely with a razorblade for the girl to snort, but she tells him that she wants to do it his way by injection. Unfortunately after her first time taking heroin this way, Candy nearly dies, but is saved by Dan when he injects her with salt water. This brief scene foreshadows the downfall the couple will face, but their strong bond of love, as well as addiction carries them on and they eventually marry much to the discontent of Candy's white bread family. After their marriage, and as their addiction grows, the young couple begin to steal more and Candy becomes a prostitute to support their habit. When will it end?

Candy is a slow, meditative film on the horrors of addiction and how said addiction can not only destroy oneself, but those around one as well and while it might not be quite as hard hitting as the novel, it is still an example of some quite good filmmaking."

A Poignant Little Drug Drama

Joshua Miller | Coeur d'Alene,ID | 04/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Candy" is a poignant little drama dealing with both drugs and a relationship, and more specifically the drugs that affect that relationship.

Heath Ledger gives one of his best performances as Dan, a heroin addict who meets Candy (Abbie Cornish), at first a young innocent girl. Immediately, Dan and Candy become inseparable wanting to do everything together. Pretty soon, Candy is also a heroin addict and the couple are scrambling to get money to feed their habit...Meanwhile, there is their friend Casper (Geoffrey Rush, who gives Oscar-worthy supporting work) who both encourages them to quit, but supplies them when they need any.

Now, I've seen a lot of drug movies, great ones (Requiem for a Dream, Spun, A Scanner Darkly, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Jesus' Son, etc.); But never until this one have I seen a drug movie that could actually convince people to stop doing drugs or to never do them at all. The filmmakers went incredibly realistic for their portrayal of drug use and how it affects people and many of the scenes were painful to watch. The withdrawal scene in particular is agonizing, as is the following "labor" scene...All the performances in this film are incredible; Especially Ledger, Rush, and Cornish. The script, based on a novel by Luke Davies, doesn't go for all the cliches that have made up many other movies before it. "Candy" is a movie that had it not been such a small production, it could've scored some Oscar nominations...This is a great little film and I highly recommend that if you're reading this you see it.

GRADE: A"

Brilliant and absorbing

LisaLuvsMovies | St. Louis, MO USA | 02/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sadly I give my review after Heath Ledger's death...I have watched this movie several times in bits and pieces over the past two months and have gotten something new from it each time. I got the chance to sit and watch the whole thing through on January 21st. This movie sucks you in and holds your attention.

It runs the gambit of emotions. It made me cry with their losses; it made me mad they had no strength; and when their spirits broke - well, you'll just need to watch it. This is a story from a bright beginning down the dark path to an ending that was beautifully perfomed and which put Heath Ledger in the top 3 on my list of favorite actors. I already miss the movies we will never see from this man."

Well-Acted and Convincing; Still Familair

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 10/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Candy" - not to be confused with the 1968 comedy of the same title.

Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish give great performances as Dan and Candy, couple in love both addicted to heroin in this small Aussie film. It is the world of the characters who say they can and will change tomorrow but they don't. Like Al Pacino in "The Panic in Needle Park," the film works as convincing portrait of the youth who has nowhere to go, who knows virtually nothing about themselves and their life except that they are slowly going down.

My 3 star rating is based solely on the authenticity of each episode, not the way they are connected to one another. Director Neil Armfield (also respected theater director) knows how to tap the depth of actors' skills, but still couldn't overcome the episodic nature of the source material. (The film is based on a book by Luke Davies who also co-wrote the script with the director). About 30 minutes in, we realize that for all the riveting turns from the actors and three-dimensional characters the film offers familiar things except the very impressive ending. Even the fantastic support (more like a cameo) from Geoffrey Rush as "chemist" Casper couldn't change that.

"Candy" is well-acted and often depressing, but not as devastating as "Requiem for a Dream" thanks to the romantic side of the story, love-hate relation between Candy and Dan, which could have been explored more.

"

A Love Affair - With the Sweet Stuff

Michael Walter | Washington State | 07/16/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For Dan (Heath Ledger) and his girfriend Candy (Abbie Cornish), there are love and drugs and nothing else; maybe there's nothing more. "We're junkies," Candy tells a housing representative. Both she and Dan have just woken from sleep and are sitting up in bed-- her admission is as naked as their bodies. Their self-awareness is more troubling than anything else in this superb, harrowing movie.

The film owns up to the pleasures and consequences of tripping out. Because of this, it fuses beauty and horror. Several of the beautiful scenes are unforgettable (a kiss in a car as it drifts through a carwash; bubbles that swirl around Dan and Candy as they glide through a swimming pool's immaculate blue water).

In addition to the beauty and horror, there are surprising narrative gaps and a complete absence of background detail. For better or worse, we have only Dan and Candy in their present circumstances for anchors. We feel as engulfed by their love and self-destruction as they do.

Ledger is particularly good-- witness how deftly he portrays Dan's flirtatious phone call to a man whose wallet he's stolen. Geoffrey Rush plays a suave, decadent chemistry instructor with a fondness for handsome young men; his urbane energy complements and balances Dan and Candy's desperation. The film is well directed by Neil Armfield, who co-wrote the script with Luke Davies (it's based on Davies' novel of the same name). Garry Phillips delivers solid photography; Dany Cooper delivers solid editing.

Will the lovers save themselves or not? That question never goes away. The film is draining, riveting, and stunning."

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