Film Review: The Life Of Chuck
Every Life Is A Universe All Its Own
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film The Life Of Chuck. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
If you enjoy these reviews, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could share this newsletter with family and friends who might love receiving film reviews, classic movie lists, and Oscars projections straight to their inbox.
PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.
REVIEW
Warning: Light spoilers for this review…
Based on the Stephen King novella from his 2020 collection If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck isn’t your typical traditional King horror tale, nor is it one of his more recent forays into detective thrillers. Instead, it’s a life-affirming, deeply existential film that blends King’s uncanny ability to explore human emotion with his gift for crafting resonant coming-of-age stories. This is a movie about how a man’s life, cut short at 39, can still ripple through others in profound ways. As the film reminds us time and time again, we all “contain multitudes.”
Structurally, the film plays in reverse, starting at the end of Chuck’s life and working its way backward through his most defining moments. The first act (labeled as the “third” within the narrative) is easily the roughest stretch. We begin inside what feels like Chuck’s own crumbling mental universe; abstract, surreal, and emotionally distant. There are thematic seeds planted here that do eventually bloom later in the story, but even with that knowledge, I still found this portion overlong and, to a degree, off-putting. Honestly, the film was losing me out of the gate, until it wasn’t.
If you’ve read my review of Anora, you’ll know I’m willing to forgive a movie that stumbles out of the blocks if it can find its footing and deliver something powerful in the back half. The Life of Chuck absolutely does that and then some.
Once we move past the initial thirty minutes, the film finds its rhythm. We meet Chuck in a touching and uplifting scene, just months before his passing, where he dances freely in public, and from there, we begin to trace the moments that shaped him. His childhood, raised by his grandparents. His awkward but endearing love of dance. His grief, growth, passions, and connections. All of it unfolds with a natural grace.
King’s touch with “coming-of-age” narratives is second to none, and director Mike Flanagan adapts this particular story with both precision and emotional intelligence. A warm, storybook-like narration by Nick Offerman adds another layer, making it feel almost as if you’re reading the novella yourself while watching it come alive onscreen.
Chuck’s journey is portrayed through multiple stages of life, brought to life by a strong ensemble - Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, and Cody Flanagan all take turns playing Chuck at different ages, and each does solid work in fleshing out a believable and layered character. The supporting cast is no slouch either with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, David Dastmalchian, and Carl Lumbly all delivering in their respective roles. But the real standouts for me were Mark Hamill and Mia Sara as Chuck’s grandparents. Their performances anchor the heart of the movie and give it emotional weight in the places it needs it most. Hamill in particular deserves awards recognition.
I just wish that first act didn’t feel so clunky. Had the film begun on stronger footing, this might very well be competing with Black Bag and Sinners as my favorite film of the year so far. Still, the emotional payoff is absolutely worth the choppy waters that this journey starts on. While I didn’t full-on sob, the film definitely brought tears to my eyes, and I can clearly see why it won the Toronto International Film Festival’s audience award last fall.
I give The Life of Chuck an A-. It’s the best Stephen King film adaptation since the IT films, and a movie I fully expect to remain among my favorites of the year.
GRADING
