A beautiful tale of loss and acceptance.
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When Stephen King first released the “The Life of Chuck" novella in 2020, it was a welcomed symbol of hope during the trying times of the Covid pandemic. Years later, writer-director Mike Flanagan’s film adaptation of the same name would reiterate the same sentiments for a new wave of consumers.
Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill and more star in the fantastical sci-fi drama that tells the life story of one Charles “Chuck” Krantz. The film, like the novella it was adapted from, adopts a non-linear three act structure, chronicling Chuck’s life in reverse-chronological order.
Titled “Thanks Chuck” (Act 3 of the story), the focus is on Marty (Ejiofor). Going about his daily life, he sees a billboard featuring an accountant sitting at a desk, with a message reading "39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck”. Slowly does the world crumble around Marty, affecting the livelihood of everyone he meets while more of the same “Thanks, Chuck” message appears everywhere – from television to print and radio. Everyone sees the ad but no one seems to know who Chuck is. Deciding to seek solace with his ex-wife Felicia (Gillan) as their world begins to shut down, more ads appear on window panes, this time in vivid neon lights luminating the blackout surrounding them as they sit and look to the skies trying to make sense of it all. In a hospital, an elderly Chuck is dying with his family by his side. Marty and Felicia watch the stars above them disappear until everything fades to black. This act will feel disjointed and bizarre at the start if you go in knowing nothing, but it ultimately pays off as the film progresses and you’ll see that it serves as an important puzzle piece to the much bigger picture.
Followed by Act 2: “Buskers Forever” – Chuck (Hiddleston), as we’ve seen him in the ads, stops short on his way to work when he sees a busking drummer. He dances along to her beats, drawing an audience. They are soon joined by a young woman who accompanies Chuck in his dance, creating a most captivating and uplifting sequence of any kind in all films we’ve seen of late. Hiddleston’s usual charm and magnetism are amplified tenfold as he giddily fills the screen with his suave jigs. You can’t help but beam with joy and pride as this all unfolds, almost forgetting the fate soon to befall Chuck.
Just as you sit with elation thanks to adult Chuck, in comes his younger counterpart (played by Benjamin Pajak and later Jacob Tremblay) in the finale Act 1: “I Contain Multitudes”, to further steal your heart away. Orphaned and living with his paternal grandparents, this is where he develops his love for dancing. All is fine and dandy in the household except for the ominous attic his grandfather Albie (Hamill) keeps locked at all times. We learn the reason Albie does this because of the room’s mystical powers of showing its guest the imminent deaths of loved ones. Chuck eventually unlocks the room and sees his adult self lying in a hospital bed, dying from a brain tumor – bringing the film full circle to when we see old Chuck dying in Act 3.
Tremblay doesn’t get as much screen time to play Chuck but he’s perfectly cast for his close resemblance to Pajak, making an almost seamless transition as a few of Chuck’s years go by between the two actors. Pajak is every inch the scene-stealing performer, matching the happy-go-lucky energy of Hiddleston’s Chuck with an endearing touch of childlike vigour.
We go from not knowing Chuck to gradually falling in love with the man and boy he was, all within the span of a faithfully structured film. It’s a beautiful tale of loss and acceptance with a profound teachable moment of what it means to be alive.
The Life of Chuck will have you leaving the cinemas with a spring in your step while also in deep thought. It’s a positive character-strong hopeful film from men otherwise best known for their contribution to the horror genre. Thanks, Stephen! Thanks, Mike!
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