Struck by Lightning - DVD

Content: 17-year-old Carson (Chris Colfer) really doesn't have it easy in his life. He is intelligent and quick-witted - which of course makes him an absolute outsider at his school. At home he has to deal with his alcoholic mother, who since the separation from Carson's father (Dermot Mulroney) is completely let go and sometimes throws her son to the head that she would have better aborted him. For Carson there is only one way out: he has to leave home and go to college to realize his dream of becoming a successful journalist for the Times or the New Yorker. But there's a catch: in order to be admitted to his dream college, he has to demonstrate very special extracurricular activities. Working for the school newspaper isn't enough. It would be better if he published a literary magazine. But how is he supposed to get his idiot classmates to contribute to such a magazine? Luckily, the popular kids and influential teachers all have dirty secrets, and it's easy for Carson and his best friend Malerie (Rebel Wilson) to figure them out. But no sooner does Carson see himself getting a little closer to his goal than the next stone is thrown in his path...

Back in 2004, director Brian Dannelly made a big splash with Saved! - The High School Missionaries revealed his talent for bitingly wicked teen comedies. His latest feature film, Struck by Lightning, strikes very similar notes. This time, however, the script was not written by Dannelly himself, but by Glee star Chris Colfer, who also took the lead role. Admittedly, in some scenes the differences between the character of Carson and that of Kurt, played by Colfer in the popular musical series, are barely discernible. Still, Struck by Lightning is an entirely original work that doesn't simply copy the successful formula from Glee.

Colfer's screenplay, based on his own novel, does a very good job of wrapping the very normal fears, worries and woes of teenagers in a slightly exaggerated way in comedic garb without dragging them into ridicule. Again and again the story takes time for more serious and quieter moments, which never really seem out of place despite the dominant humorous tone. The good interplay between script, direction and actors ensures that the mixture of politically incorrect wit and emotional teen drama works very well. What's particularly pleasing is that there's an almost complete absence of lowbrow fecal humor. Rather, the film trusts its viewers that they can also laugh at amusing dialogues and cryptic gags.

That this does not always work, is in view of the overall very positive overall impression absolutely bearable. Struck by Lightning is really a lot of fun until the successful finale. The supporting cast of TV hits like Mad Men (Christina Hendricks), Modern Family (Sarah Hyland), Awkward - My So-Called Life (Ashley Rickards) or Weeds and Suburgatory (Allie Grant), the cleverly packaged message of always staying true to oneself against all odds and the wordplay laced with unerring sarcasm make From Lightning Struck an extremely pleasant surprise that fans of comedies like Easy to Have, Saved! and Girls Club can be warmly recommended. Absolutely worth watching!

Image + Sound: There's actually very little to fault about the DVD's audiovisual realization. The picture is absolutely clean, the overall sharpness is on a good level and also the representation of smaller details can convince in most scenes. The warm colors are pleasantly powerful and support the positive overall impression of the picture quality. The sound is primarily dominated by the dialogue and the well-matched music. The surround channels are used rather discreetly, but this is not really negative for a comedy of this kind. Good!

Extras: As a bonus there are some cut and alternative scenes, which also include two alternative endings (05:47 + 03:57 min.). In addition, the DVD also has the trailer, as well as quite revealing interviews with Chris Colfer (approx. 5:52 min.), Christina Hendricks (approx. 3:36 min.), Dermot Mulroney (approx. 4:06 min.) and Sarah Hyland (approx. 3:13 min.) to offer. Good!

Conclusion: Struck by Lightning is a surprisingly biting and pleasantly politically incorrect high school comedy that approaches the oft-used outsider theme in a slightly different way. Well cast and pointedly written, the film conveys its beautiful message in a very entertaining and clever way. Fans of the series Glee or of comedies like Einfach zu haben will definitely have fun here. The DVD is technically well done, the bonus material is worth a look at the longer of the two alternative endings. Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp