Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
White Candy, February 20, 2008
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.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Poignant Little Drug Drama, April 3, 2007
"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
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Acted and Convincing; Still Familair, October 19, 2007
"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.
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