Struck by Lightning

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  • Opened January 11, 2013 
  • 1 hr 24 min
  • NR

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+. More on child suitability

  • High school senior Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) was destined for bigger things than his close-minded small town could ever offer. He was on a path to greatness, but destiny had a different plan when he was suddenly killed by a bolt of lightning in his school parking lot. Demonstrating that life is what happens while you’re busy planning your future, Carson recounts the last few weeks of his life via witty, insightful flashbacks, including a blackmail scheme targeting the popular kids in school that he concocts with his best friend (Rebel Wilson, BRIDESMAIDS), and a home life that includes a mother (Allison Janney, JUNO, “The West Wing”) who’s more interested in the bottle than her son’s future and an estranged father (Dermot Mulroney, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING) who suddenly appears with a pregnant fiancée (Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”). Full synopsis

  • Cast: Chris Colfer, Dermot Mulroney, Allison Janney, Christina Hendricks, Sarah Hyland
  • Director: Brian Dannelly
  • Genres: Comedy

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Fan Reviews

Must Go!
Very Moving

by nvn_it'sunwritten

There are many times that when I feel stuck, as many of us feel. But when I watched this movie, it made me feel as though I wouldn't be stuck forever. Was that a cheesy statement? Yes, but I mean it....

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Critic Reviews

67
Entertainment Weekly
| Lisa Schwarzbaum

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. Read full review

60
Arizona Republic
| Bill Goodykoontz

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. Read full review

50
New York Post
| Sara Stewart

There's also a refreshing lack of wrapping everything up in a neat, happy bow at the end. Read full review

50
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

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. Read full review

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Christina Hendricks and Dermot Mulroney in "Struck by Lightning."