JEANNE’S REVIEW

Stephen King’s novella, “The Life of Chuck”, has been adapted and directed by Mike Flanagan. Told in three acts, the film begins with Act III, which is the end of Chuck’s life --- and the world.

Both King and Flanagan are known for horror stories, but THE LIFE OF CHUCK is considered a science fiction drama --- “at its heart, a celebration of the everyday”. However, when a movie begins with the apocalyptic end of the world, it seems very much like a horror film to me.

People, specifically Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher, and his former lover, Felicia (Karen Gillan), a nurse, and others, begin noticing the image of a man named Chuck Krantz everywhere --- billboards, signs, even TV commercials. He’s being thanked for “39 years of service”, but service for what --- and who is he and why does anything about him matter?

We finally meet Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) in Act II. He’s an accountant with a loving family, and, as the narrator (Nick Offerman) informs us, Chuck only has nine months to live, though he doesn’t know that yet.

Chuck is in a small town on a business trip and when he comes across a street drummer (Taylor Gordon), he pauses then begins to dance. A woman in the crowd named Janice (Annalise Basso), whose boyfriend just broke off their relationship, joins him and together they spend the next six minutes entertaining everyone around them. It’s a wonderful scene and Hiddleston, Basso and Gordon are all terrific. And yet, I still can’t shake the fact that life as we know it has ceased to exist.

Act I takes us back to Chuck’s youth. He was raised by his grandparents after a tragic accident killed his parents. They are extremely loving and kind. Grandma Sarah (Mia Sara) teaches Chuck to dance and Grandpa Albie (Mark Hamill) focuses on math and the attributes of being an accountant.

The second dance sequence takes place at a school dance between young Chuck (Benjamin Pajak) and one of the most popular girls in the school. He’s shy and short --- she’s tall and confident. They dance together beautifully --- and it’s a lot of fun to watch. But there’s still that nagging knowledge that the world has gone kaput.

Perhaps at another point in time in our lives, THE LIFE OF CHUCK may have appealed to me. Unfortunately, in these precarious times of dastardly climate change and our country perilously close to becoming an autocracy, there is no comfort to be found in Flanagan’s film.

Opinion: Don’t Bother!

DAVID’S REVIEW

Based on a short story by Stephen King, the master of horror and written and directed by horror maven Mike Flanagan, THE LIFE OF CHUCK is not scary in any sense. Well maybe, if one considers the first part of the film where global havoc is presented in the form of floods, fires and a 9.1 earthquake in California.

But at the heart of this unique movie, told in three descending acts, are highlights from the life of one Charles “Chuck” Kravitz. Act III deals with a dying Chuck at the age of 39. In Act II Chuck is an accountant who finds joy in dancing in public. Act I tells the story of Chuck as a young boy, introduced to dance by his grandmother.

The message that can be gleaned here seems to be that life is short, so find happiness wherever you can. Older Chuck is played with sublime joy by Tom Hiddleston. This man has all the moves.

When Chuck walks into a town square setting, a delightful young female drummer, played by Taylor Gordon (aka The Pocket Queen), attracts his attention and he begins to move rhythmically to her drumbeat. Meanwhile, as a crowd has gathered to watch the festivities, a redheaded young woman, just jilted by her boyfriend, shows up and Chuck invites her to dance with him. The result is a fabulously entertaining six-minute sequence which ends with Chuck, ever the optimist, telling the girl (Annalise Basso) that she will be okay.

My illustrious partner did not like THE LIFE OF CHUCK. Again, the first part of the film with newscasts from all over the world showing one disaster after another would seem to support her opinion. However, these early scenes set the tone for the rest of the story as I indicated above.

In addition to a splendid performance from Hiddleston, THE LIFE OF CHUCK features Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan as a former couple who rediscover their mutual love as the world around them is crumbling. Jacob Tremblay (the young star of ROOM) has a small part at the film’s conclusion as Teenage Chuck.

But the other key player in the cast is Benjamin Pajak as Young Chuck. This kid is terrific as his character, living with his grandparents Sarah (Mia Sara) and Albie Krantz (Mark Hamill), finds early on that he not only loves to dance, but is really good at it. I loved watching Grandma Sarah teaching Chuck how to dance in their kitchen. Later the attendees at their school dance are charmed as he dances with an older girl.

Meanwhile, Chuck is thanked all over town for his “39 years of service”. Whether it’s billboards or TV screens, his image is everywhere. Yet when asked, nobody seems to know exactly who Chuck Krantz is or why his life is being immortalized. It’s a bit of a mystery until later, but there are sufficiently fun and uplifting moments in THE LIFE OF CHUCK to negate the early scenes of the apparent end of the world.

This is really a movie that demands to be seen more than once. It also garnered the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

Opinion: See It Now!