I Want Candy

I Want Candy (2007)

Genres - Comedy, Romance  |   Release Date - Sep 9, 2008 (USA)  |   Run Time - 90 min.  |   Countries - United Kingdom, Luxembourg, United States  |   MPAA Rating - R
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Review by Derek Armstrong

The I Want Candy DVD cover shows Carmen Electra clad in black lingerie, dangling a pear, her lips parted seductively. Who would have guessed, then, that the movie inside the case would be best described as a witty British farce, a lot more concerned with clever wordplay and absurd scenarios than titillation? If it took these marketing shenanigans to bring I Want Candy to a wider audience, then it was probably worth it. I Want Candy's central idea -- a couple film students stumble into making a porno, shooting in the home belonging to one of the guy's parents, no less -- is not the slightest bit new. But its British pedigree seems to make it more sophisticated than its similarly themed predecessors, almost by default. Director Stephen Surjik (Wayne's World 2) and his team of writers do well in validating that assumption, keeping the jokes harmlessly ribald, and permeating sweetness throughout the production. The other person who looks smart here is Carmen Electra. Even though her shapely figure was used to lure unsuspecting video renters, meaning it wasn't such a departure from the way she's typically utilized, the actual movie is a lot more intelligent than her usual fare, so she looks shrewd to have associated herself with it. Plus, she actually does a good job as the perfectly named porn star Candy Fiveways, even if her character's participation in their ramshackle shoot seems somewhat unlikely. Tom Riley and Tom Burke are likeable yin-and-yang leads -- the confident talker and the neurotic creative talent -- and Mackenzie Crook from the British Office makes a welcome appearance as an eccentric film instructor. One added benefit, or hindrance, depending on your perspective: Upon renting the movie, you'll find Bow Wow Wow's cover of the Strangeloves' titular tune playing on repeat loop in your head.