Struck

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 film tells the story of a young man in high school, who has set his sight at a certain university to do a specific programming. On order to increase his chances of getting in, he has to use everything he knows of to get people to contribute essays for his newly created literary magazine.

The plot may sound fun and interesting, but it turns out to be not as funny as I expected it to be. The plot is plainly delivered, without dramatic moments or laugh out loud moments. Not even Rebel Wilson can make it funny! The only saving grace is Alison Janney, who is good as a single mother destroyed by a failed marriage. Maybe "Struck By Lightning" relies on dark humour, but it's not dramatic or engaging enough to work

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.

I must say, I expected completely different thing when I saw poster for this movie. However, it was not only better, but different than any other movie I watched recently. It shows how life is actually difficult for some teenagers, not those typical 'I am not prom queen, I'm so unpopular, nobody likes me, I want to get laid blah blah' stories. I really enjoyed acting, complete story is just amazing. I recommend everyone to see it, because it shows that there are far worse problems than wondering if you look good, or if you have boyfriend and other clichés that are mostly shown in teen movies. One more thing, previous review is obviously written by someone who does not appreciate Chris, and it is entirely wrong.

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?