Stephen King may be best known for his spooky novels, but real fans know there’s a softer side to the prolific writer. Movie buffs already know this well, thanks to beloved King adaptations like Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile. Now, thanks to The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan, we can add another great, life-affirming movie to the list withThe Life of Chuck.
The film, which surprised manyawards watchersand movie fans bywinning the People’s Choice Awardat the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival over major contenders likeThe Wild Robot, stars Tom Hiddleston as the eponymous Charles “Chuck” Krantz, in a three-act story about love, life, and dancing in the face of the end of the world.
In an unusual structural conceit, the movie starts with Act 3, set in a very near future in which the world appears to be ending. An earthquake has erased California from the map, crops are no longer growing, the bees are gone, and worst of all, the internet is down. Marty Anderson, a public school teacher played by Chiwetel Ejiofor is struggling to cope with all the devastation he’s seeing around him, while puzzling over billboards around town congratulating one Charles Krantz on “39 great years.” Who is this Charles Krantz, and why is his apparent retirement being celebrated around town despite nobody seeming to know who he is? As the world’s situation goes from dire to worse, Marty finds connection once again with his ex-wife, a nurse named Felicia Gordon, played by Karen Gillan.
Act 2 finally, properly introduces us to Chuck himself, some months before the events of the first act. In a sweet episode from his life, resembling a short story, he comes across a drumming busker, played by Taylor Gordon, and suddenly begins to dance.
In Act 1, the story goes back even further, to when Chuck is just a child, played at different ages by Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan, and Jacob Tremblay. His parents having died in an accident, Chuck now lives with his grandparents, Sarah and Albie Krantz, played by Mia Sara and Mark Hamill. In this chapter of the story, the young Chuck discovers his confidence as a dancer, deals with loss, and learns the magical secret behind the locked up cupola at the top of his grandparents' house.
The film also stars Q’orianka Kilcher, Matthew Lillard, David Dastmalchian, Carl Lumbly, Kate Siegel, and more.
The Life of Chuck
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Release date, rating, and runtime
A possible Oscars dark horse, if it can find distribution
Despite its expansive story, The Life of Chuck runs a cool 110 minutes, never wearing out its welcome. The film is still waiting to be sold to a distributor, so it is currently unrated, and a release date remains unknown. But with its TIFF People’s Choice win, many are pegging it as apotential Oscars dark horseif it hits theaters this year. I was able to view the film at this year’s TIFF during a pre-release screening.
What I liked about The Life of Chuck
An emotional, life-affirming journey about facing loss with love
The Life of Chuck was, indeed, one of the best films I saw at TIFF 2024. At a festival that featured many films dealing with themes of death, memory, and loss, Flanagan’s film was a unique standout. Though it has its darker moments, the film approaches its themes with life-affirming warmth. It made me cry several times, but always because of the beauty on display in its characters' relationships with each other, and their commitment to living life to its fullest.
Much like Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption before it, The Life of Chuck is all about how people face the dark pains of life with optimism and love.
Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman lends his voice as the film’s narrator, carrying the film through its plot with a funny, observational tone that keeps things from ever getting to dour. Flanagan’s writing and direction, meanwhile, pay great respect to the lovely tone of Stephen King’s original novella of the same name, published in 2020 as part of the collection If It Bleeds. Much like Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption before it, The Life of Chuck is all about how people face the dark pains of life with optimism and love.
Bring a box of tissues, because you’re going to need something to wipe your tears.
Many will point to the big dance sequence in the second act as the film’s highlight, the kind of thing that could earn Hiddleston an Oscar nomination. It’s an absolutely delightful scene, and one of the best of the year, but it’s not even the only wonderful dance sequence in the movie. It’s also an absolute delight to see Mia Sara back on the big screen in her first credited acting role in over a decade, and nearly 30 years after her wonderful performance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Similarly great is Mark Hamill, who is already getting buzz as a potential Best Supporting Actor nominee for his performance as Chuck’s loving if bumbling grandfather.
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What I didn’t like about The Life of Chuck
What’s not to like? This is one of the best films of the year
Thinking about the film’s flaws, it’s hard for me to name any. Some people I spoke with at TIFF were less enthusiastic about the film. Though they liked it overall, some viewers feel the film is too treacly and saccharine. Some found the ending and the themes of the film more generally a bit too simple and pat. I can see why someone would feel this way, but I saw that as a feature, not a bug. The Life of Chuck is about enjoying the simple things, and I actually found its more serious meditation on death, which suffuses the whole film, profoundly moving. It’s a film about knowing that things will end one day, even if we don’t know exactly when, and finding a way to cope with that sadness and fear by focusing on the present and the love of the people around us.
Some viewers feel the film is too treacly and saccharine.
Perhaps the one thing about the film I didn’t love is how it looks. It’s not so much that the movie looks bad, and in fact some of it is quite beautiful and colorful, but throughout his career, whether in Netflix shows like Hill House and Midnight Mass, or movies like Oculus and Doctor Sleep, Flanagan favors a soft, gray digital look that I don’t much care for. That said, production-wise, Flanagan makes the most of his hometown Alabama locations, with some extremely clever use of visual effects.
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Verdict: Should you see The Life of Chuck?
It’s only a question of when you’ll actually be able to see it
If it wasn’t already obvious, The Life of Chuck comes with my biggest recommendation. The question isn’t whether you should see it, but when it will actually come out. The film is still in search of distribution, but whenever it hits theaters, you’ll want to run out to see it. It’s one of the most heartfelt and heartwarming movies of the year, with terrific writing from its ensemble cast. What’s more, The Life of Chuck is a worthy heir to Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption as one of the best, most emotionally resonant Stephen King adaptations of all time.
The Life of Chuck is a heartwarming and life-affirming Stephen King adaptation in the mold of classics like Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption that’s sure to make you smile while bringing you to tears.
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