Here's how Elizabeth Olsen's 'Love and Death' is different from Jessica Biel's 'Candy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The first attempt at establishing a television film about Betty Gore's gruesome murder in 1980 was a 1990s film titled 'A Killing In A Small Town,' directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. In 2022, Hulu's 'Candy', starring Jessica Biel, was yet another attempt by the producers to bring the infamous Candace Montgomery case to the audience's attention.
And HBO Max's 'Love and Death,' starring Marvel actress Elizabeth Olsen, is the latest effort to adapt a series based on Betty Gore's murder. One question that audience members have been asking since the announcement of 'Love and Death' is how these two shows differ from one another. What did 'Candy' not cover that 'Love and Death' will?
READ MORE
Different perspectives of the same case
One of the significant and pivotal distinctions between 'Love and Death' and 'Candy' that critics have pointed out is the fact that both shows are constructed around distinct perspectives on the same case. HBO Max's show is mainly based on the Texas Monthly article titled, 'Love and Death in Silicon Prairie,' and serves as a simpler retelling of events as they occurred at the time, with a hint of fictionalized accounts and exceptional performances.
Whereas Hulu's show, starring Jessica Biel as Candace Montgomery, chose to go down a different route with the case, discovering the psychological perspective with Betty's existence lingering even though she was gone, a former friend killed in self-defense. Both shows, one presently streaming on Hulu while the other is upcoming, are based on the same real-life crime scene but use different sources and angles of documentation to execute them, making them both unique and probably a must-watch.
Will ‘Love and Death’ and ‘Candy’ have any similarities?
No, it does not. Except for the fact that both shows are premised on the same case in which Candace Montgomery is charged with killing Betty Gore with an ax, there is no indication that the two shows will be similar, starting with the show's leading cast. Whereas on Hulu, Jessica Biel played Candace Montgomery, Melanie Lynskey played Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber played Allan Gore, Timothy Sims played Pat Montgomery, Elizabeth Olsen plays Candace Montgomery and Patrick Fugit plays her husband Pat. Allan Gore is played by Jesse Plemons, and Lily Rabe plays Betty Gore.
According to Decider, Hulu gave 'Candy' a special treatment, releasing one episode a night for five nights, just like an old-fashioned network miniseries would, but HBO Max will convey the narrative in seven episodes, the first three of which will premiere on April 27 and the remaining four will drop weekly until May 25. It has also been reported that, unlike 'Candy,' which tells the story the murder story in reverse to walk the audience through the events leading up to the murder, 'Love and Death' appears to be more linear.
Bonus
Because she represents the real-life housewife turned ax murderer, Biel altered her look into Candy. She even wore glasses and had a perm just like Montgomery's. Elizabeth Olsen’s version seems to be taking more liberties with the look because Olsen did not try to imitate Candy. She represents an Old Hollywood homemaker rather than Biel's more gritty portrayal.
‘Love and Death’ is coming on HBO Max on April 27.
