Hit by Lightning

Hit By Lightning is a 2014 Canadian-American black comedy film written and directed by Ricky Blitt and produced by Chantal Chamandy, as his directorial debut and her film producer debut.[1][2] Filmed on locations in Ottawa and Los Angeles, the film stars Jon Cryer, Will Sasso, Stéphanie Szostak, and Jed Rees.[3][4][5][6][7]

Not to be confused with Struck by Lightning (2012 film).
Hit By Lightning
Directed byRicky Blitt
Produced by
Written byRicky Blitt
Starring
Music by
  • Chantal Chamandy
  • Joel Campbell
CinematographyArthur E. Cooper
Edited bySimon Webb
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • July 23, 2014 (2014-07-23) (Montreal)
Running time
89 minutes
Country
  • Canada
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,000,000

Plot

Ricky (Jon Cryer), a lonely, 40-something restaurant manager finally meets his ideal woman, Danita (Stéphanie Szostak) through a dating website. However, one significant problem arises: she's married and wants him to kill her abusive husband (Jed Rees) so that she and Ricky can be together. Ricky is so smitten he agrees to do it with the help of his accountant best friend, Seth (Will Sasso).

Cast

Production

When interviewed by CJAD radio of Montreal, Chantal Chamandy spoke toward the production of this film. One year after creation of her production company Chantal Chamandy Entertainment, Chamandy began production on the film Hit By Lightning. The film was shot over a 17-day period during summer 2013 in a studio in metro Ottawa, locations through the city, as well as locations in Los Angeles. The film was budgeted at C$1 million provided by private funding and through Telefilm Canada, and had no cost overruns. Ricky Blitt had written the script and was invited to Montreal by Chamandy to direct the film as his directorial debut. Jon Cryer was production's first choice for the lead role, and he accepted the role after discussing the script with Blitt.[8] The film is described by Cryer as "sort of a mixture of Body Heat meets The 40-Year-Old Virgin.[6]

What I loved about the script was that it was a romantic comedy with a new twist. It's a really sweet story but it has a real darkness to it. I haven't done a romantic comedy in a long, long time and it took a lovely script to make me do this kind of thing again

— Jon Cryer[8]

Will Sasso was production's first choice for the supporting role of Seth. After he and Cryer had met and discussed it, they clicked and he also came immediately aboard. Casting was completed within six months. To take advantage of Canadian tax credits, most of the project was filmed in Ottawa, and post-production and music scoring was done in Montreal. [5][8]

Release
Film's banner poster at the Just For Laughs Festival

The film had its world premiere at the Just For Laughs Festival on July 23, 2014 in Montreal,[9] and is slated for VOD release in both Canada and the United States on October 31, 2014.[10][8]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 11% of nine surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 3.1/10.[11] Metacritic rated it 31/100 based on eight reviews.[12] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a flat, awkward mashup" of romantic comedy and thriller.[13] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times described it as "a laugh-deprived Seinfeld episode".[14] Martin Tsai of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "manages to make dark comedy fresh by combining two formulas."[15]

References
  1. Kay, Jeremy (February 12, 2014). "Spotlight struck by Cryer's Lightning". Screen Daily. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  2. Sneider, Jeff (May 1, 2013). "Jon Cryer Nearing Deal to Star in Ricky Blitt's Comedy 'Hit By Lightning'". The Wrap. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  3. staff (July 24, 2014). "Jon Cryer on filming 'Hit By Lightning' in Canada" (video interview). CityNews. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  4. staff. "Movie: Hit By Lightning". hahaha.com. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. Rand, Aaron (July 22, 2014). "CJAD speaks with 'Hit By Lightning' Producer Chantal Chamandy" (radio interview). CJAD. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. Edeh, Rosey (July 2014). "Jon Cryer" (television interview). The Morning Show. Global News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. Ross, Camille (July 24, 2014). "Jon Cryer strikes Montreal" (television interview). Global News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. Shatilla, Ann (2014). "On Cryer in Starring Role in the New Romantic Comedy Hit By Lightning Opening Oct 31". Hollywood Trend Report. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  9. staff (July 9, 2014). "Hit By Lightning – Film World Premiere". hahaha.com. Just For Laughs Festival. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  10. Benjebria, Laurine (July 30, 2014). "Hit by Lightning, la comédie qui se moque des clichés hollywoodiens". Le Journal International (in French). Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. "Hit By Lightning (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  12. "Hit by Lightning". Metacritic. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  13. Linden, Sheri (October 28, 2014). "'Hit by Lightning': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  14. Kenigsberg, Ben (October 30, 2014). "The Perils of Online Dating". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  15. Tsai, Martin (October 30, 2014). "Review 'Hit by Lightning' fuses comedy with film noir". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
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