At a high school in New York City, a science experiment goes horribly wrong, and sixteen-year-old Matty Fairchild (Connor Siemer) ends up comatose and disfigured in the hospital. The movie follows the effects the accident has on the lives of various teenagers and adults whose lives were connected to Matty's. Meanwhile, Matty's spirit haunts the school, acting as a narrator.
The Rainbow Experiment contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Matty's best friend JC Caraballo (Richard Liriano) lives with his father, who beats him. He wears sunglasses to school so people won't see his black eyes. He does his best to prevent anyone from finding out so they won't be deported to Mexico.
- Asian and Nerdy: Matty's classmate Julia is captain of the volleyball team, a member of the Chinese and National Honor Society, and a violinist. Matty is convinced that she'll someday be President.
- Awful Wedded Life: Matty was the product of an accidental teen pregnancy. His parents got married to raise him, even though his father Ross (Swann Gruen) didn't want him at first. Matty was subjected to years of their shouting matches, and used to pray that they would get divorced.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Matty's friend Lawrence Johnson (Isaiah Blake) is usually late to school because he doesn't care about his studies. He gets away with it because he's at the top of his class.
- Character Narrator: Matty talks to the camera, providing commentary and information nobody else has.
- Cry into Chest: Matty's crush Toni McKenna (Christine McLaughlin) cries into her father David's (Kevin Kane) chest when he arrives at the school after the explosion.
- Daddy Didn't Show: Matty starred in a number of school plays, but Ross often missed them because of the long hours he worked.
- Dedication: The beginning of the movie has "To Alex, always."
- Man on Fire: The experiment involved waving sticks with different substances on them over a Bunsen burner to create colored flames. When Matty did it, a fireball exploded out of the stick, setting him on fire. The burns cover over half of his body.
- This Is Reality: When Sila (Laura Pruden) is trying to get JC to talk about how the methanol got into the beakers, she says, "This is like when you watch TV and there's a cop drama. This is like that, only this is your life."
