Struck by Lightning

Struck by Lightning hit me hard, it touched me, made me laugh and left me relieved when it was finished. I have to say it was actually Rebel Wilson that made me want to watch this movie. She's as always hilarious no matter what she does. Chris Colfer is definitely one of the best young actors in Hollywood today and i think that the idea he had with Struck By Lightning came through in the end. Its about not standing back and not to let others push you around. To do everything you can to ensure your future (it is after all survival of the fittest). You won't be wasting your time...if you're into teen movies this is a must see. If they keep making movies like this I think there'll be a bright future ahead.

It is not a flawless film by any means, but few are. However it does address something that few movies about high school do; which is the dichotomy between students who live in the moment and think those years are the end all and be all, and those who see it as a finite time to get through for the longer (and hopefully better) future.

The main character's tragedy (among many) is not his ultimate fate but in that in seeking to get though the school years and not enjoying them (or what little there is to find happiness in) misses it, by being focused solely by getting out.

In contrast the other teenage characters (Rebel Wilson's being an exception) have blinders on; in terms of both acceptance of other people and of the existence of the larger world and that they will have to enter it and so forth.

Are there clichés? Yes, but high school students are much the same everywhere so that is an issue of reality and life and not the limitations of the screenwriter.

Are the scenes between Carson and the adults more compelling? Of course, but that is because adults by definition have more life experience (good and bad) to make them more intriguing.

Ultimately, the movie's flaws are minor compared to the whole. It is smart, dead on in observation (especially in regards to the parental and authority figures interaction with Carson and family dynamics), and the casting is brilliant, with one exception.

That would be Dylan McDermotte. Who, besides their mothers, can tell him apart from Dermut Mulroney?

Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) is a high school agitator. He runs the school newspaper where nobody other than him has submitted any stories. He is the school outcast, and he hatches a plan to blackmail everybody to submit stories to his literary magazine.

I love the cast in this movie, but Chris Colfer really needs to rework this story. It rambles on, all the while we know the guy is going to die by lightning strike. The story feels underdeveloped, and in the end pointless. While I love the actors, the characters are all very 2 dimensional. Chris Colfer's character comes off as too whiny and too angry. He is so myopic that he doesn't even realize he has a friend. I love Rebel Wilson, but she isn't allowed the freedom to go crazy. The whole thing is one big woe-is-me. As a black comedy, it doesn't get very deep and it really doesn't get very funny.

OK, so the whole part about being struck by lightning and dying is very silly and pointless to the whole story. It literally serves no purpose to the rest of the story. It seems the ending (which was shown in the beginning also just to set the fence around the movie) could have been anything, literally anything and the movie would have worked fine. He could have gone to college and it would have sent identical message.

So, anyways, moving past the ridiculous end, the story is good, the acting is good and I really like the way Chris Colfer manages to convey strong dialogs without making it seem over dramatic. He seems genuine. So points to him for that.

This really was a tremendous first writing effort by Chris Colfer. If this sample is representative of his writing talent then I sure we can look forward to many first rate scripts and stories in the future.

I can relate to the story setting, having grown up in a small town, small minded people living small minded lives seemingly in the Midwest. They are absolute stunned when a BIG MIND comes along. They don't know what to do with it, so they do their best to stomp it down. But this is one big mind that refused to be stomped.

I think the central character, Carson Phillips, touches the lives of all those around him in a positive way. I think their long term lives are enriched by it. But, small minds can only grow just so big. In the end, small minds remain small, and the one Big Mind that touched them all is gone. It's kind of a sad story.

I really enjoyed this movie and was captivated by it from beginning to end. Excellent performances by the full supporting cast.

Again, I think this is a sign that we can expect great things from Chris Colfer in the future. In my opinion, he is NO one trick pony. In this movie, I think he catches the outcast teenager's mind from fresh new perspective.

The movie is available on Amazon for Instant Streaming, and well worth a look by anyone who is not locked into standard generic Hollywood blockbuster fare.