Struck by Lightning

This really was a tremendous first writing effort by Chris Colfer. If this sample is representative of his writing talent then I sure we can look forward to many first rate scripts and stories in the future.

I can relate to the story setting, having grown up in a small town, small minded people living small minded lives seemingly in the Midwest. They are absolute stunned when a BIG MIND comes along. They don't know what to do with it, so they do their best to stomp it down. But this is one big mind that refused to be stomped.

I think the central character, Carson Phillips, touches the lives of all those around him in a positive way. I think their long term lives are enriched by it. But, small minds can only grow just so big. In the end, small minds remain small, and the one Big Mind that touched them all is gone. It's kind of a sad story.

I really enjoyed this movie and was captivated by it from beginning to end. Excellent performances by the full supporting cast.

Again, I think this is a sign that we can expect great things from Chris Colfer in the future. In my opinion, he is NO one trick pony. In this movie, I think he catches the outcast teenager's mind from fresh new perspective.

The movie is available on Amazon for Instant Streaming, and well worth a look by anyone who is not locked into standard generic Hollywood blockbuster fare.

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.

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.

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.