Maybe we shouldn’t be too hard on Chris Colfer, the “Glee†star who has written himself a leading role in Brian Dannelly’s misguided comedy “Struck by Lightning.†For one thing, he’s objectively adorable. And for another, he’s only 22. His first screenplay may be considerably flawed, but there’s no doubting his enthusiasm.
Colfer plays Carson Phillips, a small-town teen desperate to build himself a better life.
At home, he watches his drunken mother Sheryl (Allison Janney) perpetually relive her divorce, even though her ex (Dermot Mulroney) is engaged (to Christina Hendricks) with a baby on the way.
Things are no easier for him at school. An intellectual ignored by the popular kids, he runs the newspaper with Malerie (Rebel Wilson), and wants to start a literary magazine. Since no one will join them, he resorts to blackmailing the other students. He’ll keep their secrets if they supply him with stories.
By sheer force of will (and skill), Janney expands Sheryl into a pitiable figure. But everyone else feels like an outline waiting to be filled in. The students are bland archetypes who never connect with each other, and Carson is so unduly smug that it’s impossible for us to like him. Also unsatisfying is the film’s flashback structure, a gimmick that remains unearned.
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.
Still, his ambition is impressive, and there are enough sharp lines to make us hope for better next time. Sometimes it takes a few tries before lightning strikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment