Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Sweetigal85 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.

bederisofia I just saw this movie on the most popular tab on my Netflix and it piqued my interest, and it looked like something I would enjoy. And did I enjoy it? Very much so.Bennett is charming, Lona is strong. The tandem just works, even if they don't (always) get along. They gave me the inspiration I never knew I needed for when I'm back in school. As a high-schooler in the same position as them, I loved the bursts of reality spread throughout the film. And I could relate with the anxiety, pressure, the expectations. Maybe that's why some people didn't enjoy Candy Jar as much as I did - they weren't the target audience. Moreover, the rest of the characters were also incredibly lovable. Overall, I adore this and I would 10/10 watch it again.

kaparz I am not a huge consumer of teen romance movies, so I only really turned this movie on because it was there, but this movie sucked me in from the beginning. Pros: I was rooting for the characters very early on, and I was rooting for them as a couple pretty much the whole time. I found them believable, and I found their conflict made sense. The humor is down to earth and not predictable. Uzo Aduba and Christina Hendricks both did a fantastic job with really layered characters, and I loved their plotline with their respective kids and with one another. Cons: Most of the problem is in the last act, but I will attempt not to spoil. The story wants us to root for characters who say some unkind things about the protagonists (and who don't really interact with them). The last part of the story feels like it relies on us not knowing how debate works (I don't) and finding it a little weird.It seems like the movie tries to sell us on the point that making arguments with "feelings" (I think someone actually says "feelings over facts") is better than evidence, which is an odd point for the movie to want to make anyway, but it feels kind of deceptive since we never properly hear an argument given using evidence (because of the whole talking quickly thing). Ultimately, this plotline feels forced and has no real bearing on anything else. Overall, though, this was a really enjoyable movie.Watch if you're in the mood for a rom com with genuinely good characters. Skip if you're a fan of debate, or if you don't want to watch a movie that doesn't quite know what it's trying to say.

richard-fieldhouse Lona and Bennett have been competing since kindergarten, maybe egged by their mothers who seem to have some issues that need to be resolved. And now college is beckoning them - Havard - or Yale - or not. Partly to look good on their CVs they are in the school debate club. But here everything gets very strange as competitive debating seems to have degenerated into a kind of bizarre speed talking contest in which points of evidence are made so fast that scarcely anyone understands.Lona and Bennett are in some ways hugely similar and in others diametrically opposed so boy - girl, black - white, but both with single mothers, both geeks, bookworms, loners, and both very much attached to Kathy, a school counselor whose room is filled with the candy jars that give the film its title.It's an unusual idea but it makes the film fresh and different. For me, the nonsensical debating process was a bit of a distraction, but maybe the very fact that we don't understand what they're struggling to achieve, let alone the actual arguments they make, maybe that helps us focus on them and how they matter more.