We all put undue pressure on ourselves.  Even by writing that opening sentence, I have already done so to myself.  I invariably use a dropped capital for my first letter for my reviews.  I find it stylish.  Yet, when I transfer my posts to the Letterboxd app, that little bit of data does not show up if I begin with a singular “A” or “I.”  Thus, I have to remember to click on the text box, type in the correct letter, and then scroll back down to the bottom to post.  If I leave this off, which I have done a few times in my haste to get things out, then it results in a strange looking article.  Is this a big deal?  Absolutely not.  And yet, here I am, starting off with the word “We” because that is an extra placeholder in the system that allows for easy functionality when I do my updating.  This example, too, is silly.  Some of us experience these kinds of influences that can have lifelong effects on us.  As you will see, the two main characters in Candy Jar underscore how these pressures can form us, and their potential for tragic consequences.

That is a more dire tone than is present throughout Candy Jar, though Bennett Russell (Jacob Latimore) and Lona Skinner (Sami Gayle) would disagree.  At the moment, they are in front of a hapless Principal Nelson (Tom Bergeron) in order to settle who will be president of their debate team.  Because they are the only two members, he suggests that they share the title.  This is an unsatisfactory suggestion, and so they turn to the one person to which they both agree can help them best: their guidance counselor Kathy (Helen Hunt).  It is the assorted containers of sweets in her office that give the movie its title, which is appropriate to her brand of advice.  For the moment, Kathy gets these two bitter rivals to grudgingly be co-presidents despite their enmity.  The divide goes beyond them, however.  Amy Skinner (Christina Hendricks) and Julia Russell (Uzo Aduba), their respective mothers, are former high school classmates who also do not like each other.  For now, these differences can be safely ignored because Bennett and Lona have a debate for which to prepare.  It is their thorough preparation that brings them an equal share of the final prize.  Yet, their studious natures do not make them winners with their peers.  Put more simply, they have no friends.  Though they have the encouragement of their moms, like attending homecoming, they separately end up going to the movies instead of the school dance.  When they finally notice the other’s presence, there is a temporary thawing of relations as they share milkshakes and fries.  Just as soon as the goodwill appears it disappears as they once again move into debate mode.  They also have something else to worry about: their college applications.  Bennett is focused on getting into Julia’s alma mater, Yale, while Lona is intent on matriculating at Harvard.  They see the next individual competition as an opportunity to strengthen their Ivy League credentials.  Unfortunately, their mothers’ distaste for one another spills into public at the awards ceremony and causes the judges to disqualify Bennett and Lona.  They are ready to give up until Kathy once more weighs in, reminding them that if they were to team up, they could still win the state team competition, something that would look as good on their records.  Given their animosity, the partnership is not entered into easily.  Watching this will better show you how they are pretty much the exact same person, which should suggest where this will eventually go.  They resist it, though, until they learn of Kathy’s death in a car accident.  This news comes on the heels of being informed that they did not get into their dream schools.  After the service, they share some more fast food and wonder if everything they have done to this point in their academic careers had been worth it.  Their lives suddenly seem to have a little less direction, so they turn to each other and their work.  It is through this period that they begin forming a bond that eventually turns romantic when they share a kiss.  It is Lona that redirects their feelings, basically saying that they do not have the time for attachments.  Meanwhile, Julia visits Amy at the coffee shop at which Lona’s mom works.  Seeking to make amends with her son, Julia asks Amy for the recipe for the chocolate cookies about which Bennett had been raving.  With this, it is time for the state debate tournament on which Bennett and Lona had been pinning all their hopes.  As might be expected, they make it through to the final.  The problem with their until match is that they are pitted against Dana (Ariana Guerra) and Jasmine (Antonia Gentry), the debaters from Washington High School.  That might not seem out-of-the-ordinary until you consider the contrast between their public school background and Bennett and Lona’s preparatory institution.  The topic everyone has been arguing all year has been the benefits of a college education.  Dana and Jasmine point to the struggles of students of their socio-economic status, and how the system tends to fail them no matter how hard they try.  Bennett and Lona, especially in light of recent events, find that they cannot argue with Washington High’s position.  Instead, they remember Kathy’s words, who always recommended that they do not take life so seriously.  Bennett and Lona realize that, once more, the answer lies with one another.  This manifests itself in giving in to their feelings for each other.  The last we see of them is them supposedly going to their senior prom, but instead returning to the theater.

Admittedly, there is nothing innovative about Candy Jar.  It follows the familiar structure of a romantic comedy, and there is nothing wrong with this format, even if it does make for a predictable plot.  Despite its inevitable nature, I was charmed and found a lot to talk about from a Catholic perspective.  A lot of this relates to the pressure I referenced in the introduction.  The biggest lesson along these lines is a great one, and it is that sometimes you lose.  This might seem counterintuitive in terms of being a benefit, either when applied to Faith or life.  Nobody wants to be known as a loser.  Also, the Bible tells us that Jesus obtained the ultimate victory over death, the one thing that seems unbeatable.  The problem is that the way Bennett and Lona have lived their lives has turned them into robots as they acknowledge at the end.  An automaton who cares only about success is not alive.  There is a Scriptural correlation to this in John 6:63, which says “It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.  The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”  It is clear that Bennett and Lona have no life, but there is another way of looking at these lines.  For Lona especially, her world is about the facts.  She turns her nose up at Dana and Jasmine’s approach to debate as they use their personal experiences to support their stances rather than solely research.  Lona, and Bennett, too, spend their full eight minutes cramming in as many well-founded statements and figures as her fast moving lips are capable of saying.  This is the common strategy for these competitions, and she does it with a machine-like precision.  What Kathy preaches, as Jesus did with his disciples, and to all Christians by extension, is that we are called to step out of those comfort zones.  We need to say yes to where the Spirit leads us, no matter what, because that is how we grow.  Sometimes, that means we do not get that one thing we so wanted.  This is what happens with Bennett and Lona, and it makes for a worthwhile viewing experience.

It took some searching for Candy Jar on Netflix, but I am glad I did so.  There are few complaints I have with this one, outside of foul language.  I was charmed by it, and I think I am going to suggest to my sister that she show it to my nieces.  This usually does not go well, but it is at least worth an attempt.