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Struck by Lightning

Play trailer Poster for Struck by Lightning 2013 1h 24m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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33% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A teen (Chris Colfer), fated to meet an electrifying end, coerces his classmates into writing for a literary magazine he started to ensure admittance to his dream college.
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Struck by Lightning

Critics Reviews

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Sara Stewart New York Post 01/11/2013
2/4
Ultimately, it all portends a much brighter future for Colfer than for Carson. Go to Full Review Mark Olsen Los Angeles Times 01/10/2013
2/5
If only "Struck by Lightning" had a sharper, stronger perspective, it might have made more of its conceit. Go to Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times 01/10/2013
2/5
Except for Ms. Janney's monstrous mother and an Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother (Polly Bergen), "Struck by Lightning" gives its characters no dimension. Go to Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 11/27/2019
Brian Dannelly's direction keeps the film clean, simple. A softness to the visual tone of the film both in lighting and use of color serves as a nice balance to the harsh realities and high school! Go to Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 08/06/2019
3/4
A completely winning film, the kind of smartly written indie comedy that so rarely separates itself from the self consciously quirky pack. Go to Full Review Stephen Saito Moveable Fest 12/17/2018
Carson complains there's "nothing to do in Clover between Jamba Juices and cow tipping," but those watching it shouldn't feel the same way. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Yuri B. @RyuBlack 6d Damn... this movie was really, really good. Never heard of the young man Chris Colfer before now, but I'll be looking for him in future films... he was simply brilliant as hell in this film. See more Darcey @RT65388743 09/20/2023 I honestly am in love with this movie.I find the story so unique compared to every other coming of age high school story and the characters say things that people their age would actually say instead of the usual made-up things that the writers put instead.I would definitely recommend this for almost anyone and I really do not understand why it is rated so low.A very fun watch. See more 07/28/2022 While not every joke landed, I felt overall the humour was pretty great, much better than what others make it out to be. Carson has been dismissed as too snide or arrogant but I think that angst was what made the character so interesting to watch. He went through a lot as the movie passed and I think handled it better than most teenagers would have been able to. A star studded supporting cast carried the movie though I was hoping for a bit more development, I guess it mirrored reality though, often times bad people don't change on a dime. I thought the portrayal of the life of a high schooler was a breath of fresh air amid so many samesy high school movies. Overall, a great film which tells the triumphs but often the downfalls of high school in a funny and accurate way you don't often see on screen. See more 07/06/2021 It was good to pass time, but I expected so much core coming from someone as brilliant as Chris. Could have done so much more with the storyline... See more 12/01/2020 Im very surprised by the bad reviews on this movie but seeing how most of the top critics are white men over 40, i guess it kinda makes sense. I actually really enjoyed the movie an love the cast!! This movie was witty, dark and tragic. See more 03/27/2020 Hilarious!!! This is a must watch movie, definitely!!!! I live Chris Colfer's amazing acting and the humour he puts into his character, Carson. I still have stomach pains from all the laughing!! See more Read all reviews
Struck by Lightning

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Brian Dannelly

Director

Chris Colfer

Carson Phillips

Allison Janney

Sheryl Phillips

Dermot Mulroney

Neal Phillips

Christina Hendricks

April

Sarah Hyland

Claire Mathews

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Struck by Lightning

Struck by Lightning (2012) Struck by Lightning (2012) Struck by Lightning (2012) Christina Hendricks as April and Dermot Mulroney as Neal Phillips in "Struck By Lightning." Sarah Hyland as Claire Mathews and Chris Colfer as Carson Phillips in "Struck By Lightning." Chris Colfer as Carson Phillips in "Struck by Lightning." A scene from "Struck by Lightning." Allison Janney as Sheryl Phillips and Dermot Mulroney as Neal Phillips in "Struck By Lightning." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A teen (Chris Colfer), fated to meet an electrifying end, coerces his classmates into writing for a literary magazine he started to ensure admittance to his dream college.
Director
Brian Dannelly
Producer
David Permut, Roberto Aguire, Mia Chang
Screenwriter
Chris Colfer
Distributor
Tribeca Film
Production Co
Evil Media Empire, Permut Presentations, Inphenate, Camellia Entertainment
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 11, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2013
Runtime
1h 24m