Struck by Lightning

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.

Lightning is a funny, fast-moving movie, packed with barbed one-liners, goofy hyperbole, and all the oversized exasperation of teen angst. But it's too acid, particularly where Colfer is concerned.

Genial and heartfelt but essentially toothless, lacking in either snark or spark.

Struck by Lightning means well, but its gentle dissection of high school cliques brings nothing new to the genre, except the fact that being out isn't the problem for the hero, Carson (Colfer).

Struck by Lightning may appeal to fans of Colfer’s work on “Glee,” but as a film it’s utterly lacking in scope, depth or meaning beyond an immediate chuckle or two.

One can't blame Colfer for wanting to expand his range, but he's created a character who is neither hero nor villain, in a black comedy that is neither dark nor funny enough.

A class-five pity party so unbearably condescending and unconvincing that it might just make you run out and buy an "I'm With Mitt" t-shirt, it makes an inadvertent but hugely compelling pro-bullying argument.

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.

A strange sort of film. A smart, left-of-centre high school story like Detention, which, although not without it's own faults, was actually entertaining throughout. Instead, here we get earnestness, moralising and a quite underwhelming story with a surprisingly generous handful of cruel twists. Allison Janney is wonderful in quite a meaty role, and Rebel Wilson and Angela Kinsey add much needed spark and humour. I find it odd however that Chris Colfer would write himself a mostly unlikable role; pompous, arrogant, and dismissive of what he could learn from others. Is he supposed to be the hero? By the end, all I could muster was, "really?".