• Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.
  • Drama, Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Brian Dannelly
    In Theaters:
    Jan 11, 2013 Limited
    On DVD:
    May 21, 2013
  • Tribeca Film

Opening

75% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
24% The Hangover Part III May 23
74% Epic May 24
97% Before Midnight May 24
73% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
82% Fill the Void May 24
—— A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

87% Star Trek Into Darkness $70.2M
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50% The Great Gatsby $23.9M
46% Pain & Gain $3.2M
69% The Croods $3.0M
77% 42 $2.8M
55% Oblivion $2.3M
98% Mud $2.2M
36% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31

Struck by Lightning Reviews

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Todd Jorgenson
Cinemalogue.com

The main character is more off-putting than endearing.

Full Review Source: Cinemalogue.com

January 14, 2013
Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media

Edgy high school comedy from Glee star has some iffy stuff

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Original Score: 3/5

January 11, 2013
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
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Colfer is still very young, but he needs to learn that "snide" is not a point of view.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | Original Score: 1.5/4

January 11, 2013
Sara Stewart
New York Post
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Ultimately, it all portends a much brighter future for Colfer than for Carson.

Full Review Source: New York Post | Original Score: 2/4

January 11, 2013
Ethan Alter
Television Without Pity

Struck By Lightning possesses a jarring mixture of tones, with moments of dark comedy sitting somewhat uneasily alongside scenes of quiet domestic drama.

Full Review Source: Television Without Pity

January 11, 2013
Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
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If only "Struck by Lightning" had a sharper, stronger perspective, it might have made more of its conceit.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Original Score: 2/5

January 10, 2013
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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Except for Ms. Janney's monstrous mother and an Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother (Polly Bergen), "Struck by Lightning" gives its characters no dimension.

Full Review Source: New York Times | Original Score: 2/5

January 10, 2013
Ella Taylor
NPR
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There isn't much to say about Struck by Lightning, except that it's one of those interchangeable teen movies that lands in theaters in early January, the morgue for films nobody knows what to do with.

Full Review Source: NPR

January 10, 2013
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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In his screenwriting debut, Glee's gifted Chris Colfer, 22, proves he can lace a line with sass and soul.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | Original Score: 2/4

January 10, 2013
Brian Orndorf
Blu-ray.com

It's not exactly ambitious, but Struck by Lightning is a noble failure, with individual elements more interesting than the strangled, distracted whole.

Full Review Source: Blu-ray.com | Original Score: D+

January 10, 2013
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
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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.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | Original Score: 2/5

January 10, 2013
Tasha Robinson
AV Club

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.

Full Review Source: AV Club | Original Score: C+

January 10, 2013
Amanda Mae Meyncke
Film.com
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At times the film is charming against its own will, but it remains needlessly complicated and obsessed with its own mythology and metaphors.

Full Review Source: Film.com | Original Score: C-

January 9, 2013
David Fear
Time Out New York
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All but the hard-core Colferphiles slink out embarrassed, feeling as confused and discombobulated as if they too just took an electric bolt to the brain.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | Original Score: 1/5

January 9, 2013
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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Some charming, buzzy talents pitch in on this short little lark ...

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | Original Score: B-

January 9, 2013
Rob Nelson
Variety
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A mediocre coming-of-age indie.

Full Review Source: Variety

January 9, 2013
David Noh
Film Journal International

"Glee" favorite Chris Colfer wrote and stars in this particularly self-serving vehicle, the narcissism of which impedes the fun.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International

January 9, 2013
Marc Mohan
Oregonian

A decidedly uncertain step into feature films from an actor with a long career ahead of him.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | Original Score: C+

January 9, 2013
Brian Miller
Village Voice
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Struck by Lightning means well, but its gentle dissection of high school cliques brings nothing new to the genre ...

Full Review Source: Village Voice

January 9, 2013
Annlee Ellingson
Paste Magazine

Colfer here is aggressively smart and unrelentingly snarky. ... It's a smart move on his part ... showcasing his potential range as an actor and as a writer.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | Original Score: 6.2/10

January 7, 2013
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