Candy Jar (2018)
7/10
Funny and moving
2 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
So far I have not found a netflix movie that I have not liked. This one is very enjoyable and entertaining. It's not the greatest movie ever, but it definitely deserves a watch and has some serious merit.

The chemistry between the two main characters is great. My all time favorite story line has always been two people who can't stand each other who ultimately fall for each other. The movie is very funny while at the same time being extremely heartfelt.

My heart nearly broke when the main character, Lona told her mother that she was going to homecoming, got all dressed up, went to meet her "friends" and instead went to a double feature movie showing by herself because she has no friends! Bennett of course was in the same boat, lying to his mother and instead going to see a movie. This was a very nice way to make the characters bond. Very poetic in the end they do the same thing with prom but by choice this time.

I have always felt sorry for people who are obsessed with schoolwork and this movie really shows the dark side of ambition. All the two main characters cared about was getting into IVY league schools, so much so that they became robots and never formed connections with anyone.

The rivalry between the two moms was very enjoyable and although I did not see Kathy's death coming, I see why it needed to happen in this story. Her unexpected death was an eye opener for Lona and Bennett, it made them see what a real problem was as they were camping out outside her office to be petulant about not getting into their choice schools, only to find out she had been in a fatal accident.

I am not certain why the movie is called candy jar other than the fact that Kathy had them all over her office. I believe they are supposed to represent what Bennett and Lona were missing out on all these years. I love the scene where Bennett tells his hypocritical mom off and I love his line at the final debate when he says "It's time for us to start talking to each other and not at each other." I am glad his mother grew and learned her lesson in the end though.

This movie does not get a perfect score for me though because I was very confused in the end as to how Lona got into Yale and Bennett got into Harvard. How did Lona get into Yale when Bennett couldn't even get in with a recommendation from Obama?? That seemed very strange and needless to me that they both got into each other's coveted school. Unless they were just being funny in the end? It was unclear to me. I also did not like the ambiguous ending where you do not know if their relationship will last. I get that they were going for the whole "You never know what's gonna happen in life" vibe, but I like my movies to be conclusive, I loathe ambiguous endings.

Definitely check this one out though! Teenagers will love it as well as anyone who was formerly a teenager. Makes teens think about their futures and makes adults see how far they have come from their past, even if their futures did not turn out the way they thought, they see that they can still find happiness and success.
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