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Lightning Bug

Play trailer Poster for Lightning Bug 2004 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
38% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A romantic relationship may prevent a young man (Bret Harrison) from realizing his dream of working with makeup effects for horror films.

Critics Reviews

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Film Threat 12/06/2005
3.5/5
Film Threat 12/06/2005
1.5/5
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 08/07/2005
2/4
Though Lightning Bug does feature a number of positive aspects - particularly Harrison's subtle, effective performance - the film never quite achieves lift-off. Go to Full Review
Film Threat 10/06/2004
3.5/5
Film Threat 05/18/2004
1.5/5
David Thomas Filmcritic.com 04/13/2004
3/5
like a low-budget remake of 8 Mile Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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11/07/2015 Solid coming-of-age drama. Really feels authentic. I suspect this is how growing up was like for many an FX artist... See more 05/22/2015 Originally thought this was a horror, but it's a drama. Original storyline and great cast. I liked that it was set in a small town in the 80's. I loved that they still had an actual video store and the main character was a horror nut who made figures. Laura Prepon was excellent and the actress who played her mother - wow, whacked out, but so convincing! The ending was a bit of a letdown, but overall I really enjoyed this. See more 05/28/2013 Not all monsters hide under your bed or in your closet--A real-time, mellowed-out, honest movie!! See more 01/31/2013 Green Graves only dreams of becoming a special make-up effects artist for the movies, but his dreams are shattered by an abusive stepfather and the disenchanting denizens of his small Southern town. Renown special effects artist Robert Hall delivers this powerful fictionalization of his own childhood experiences in the 2004 drama, LIGHTNING BUG. Hall speaks with raw emotion through his heartfelt characters, painting a tragic true-to-life tale that is equally inspiring. This could not be achieved without the help of his incredible cast, led by Bret Harrison and Kevin Gage. Harrison loses himself in his character, bringing his full range to the role of Green. He could only be overshadowed by Kevin Gage as the monstrous Earl Knight, who presses his terrifying strength and oppressive control over Green and his family. Gage is more frightening in all of his drunken rage than any man or monster in the genre. Laura Prepon, Ashley Laurence, Hal Sparks, and Lucas Till provide stunning support as well, and help to sell the realism of the desperate small town condition. A great debt is also owed to Brandon Trost, Joshua Charson, Rob Prior, and the rest of the talented crew, who make Green's reality our own. LIGHTNING BUG has a reach that expands well beyond the genre, but Horror fans in particular will empathize intimately with Green's personal struggle in an unaccepting society. This is Robert Hall's love letter to movie making, and his own personal masterpiece beyond the realm of make-up and special effects. See more 07/02/2012 Great film that not alot of ppl saw. i can really relate to it See more 02/25/2012 great movie LAURA was a total blast to watch in something dramatic out of her element See more Read all reviews
Lightning Bug

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A romantic relationship may prevent a young man (Bret Harrison) from realizing his dream of working with makeup effects for horror films.
Director
Robert Hall
Producer
Lisa Waugh
Screenwriter
Robert Hall
Production Co
Dry County Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 37m