Synopsis
After being struck and killed by lightning, a young man recounts the way he blackmailed his fellow classmates into contributing to his literary magazine.
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Cast
- Chris ColferCarson Phillips
- Dermot MulroneyNeal Phillips
- Sarah HylandClaire Mathews
- Allison JanneySheryl Phillips
- Christina HendricksApril
- Graham RogersScott Thomas
- Rebel WilsonMalerie Baggs
- Polly BergenGrandma
- Angela KinseyCounselor
- Ashley RickardsVicki Jordan
Recommendations
- 67
Entertainment Weekly
Struck by Lightning sticks to generic character sketches of high school student types - the jock, the goth, the cheerleader, etc. - and gives Carson the best lines. In between, some charming, buzzy talents pitch in on this short little lark. - 60
Arizona Republic
While the good outweigh the bad, it's a close race. But what is good, particularly a heartbreaking performance by Allison Janney, is really good, enough so that Colfer emerges as a talent worth watching on the page, not just on the screen. - 58
The A.V. Club
Lightning is a funny, fast-moving movie, packed with barbed one-liners, goofy hyperbole, and all the oversized exasperation of teen angst. But it's too acid, particularly where Colfer is concerned. - 50
Village Voice
Struck by Lightning means well, but its gentle dissection of high school cliques brings nothing new to the genre, except the fact that being out isn't the problem for the hero, Carson (Colfer). - 50
Rolling Stone
In his screenwriting debut, Glee's gifted Chris Colfer, 22, proves he can lace a line with sass and soul. The downside of Struck by Lightning, besides the fact that Colfer's character, Carson Phillips, is struck dead in the first scene, is that Colfer hands himself all the best lines. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Genial and heartfelt but essentially toothless, lacking in either snark or spark. - 40
New York Daily News
One can't blame Colfer for wanting to expand his range, but he's created a character who is neither hero nor villain, in a black comedy that is neither dark nor funny enough. - 40
The New York Times
Except for Ms. Janney's monstrous mother and an Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother (Polly Bergen), Struck by Lightning gives its characters no dimension.
