Excellent
Summary
The Life of Chuck is an oddly uplifting movie, with a terrific story and an excellent cast.
Plot: The short, albeit interesting life of accountant Charles “Chuck” Krantz is told in reverse order.
Review: Stephen King is known for horror, and for good reason. The Shining, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Stand, Christine, and It stand out as just a few of the author’s legendary horrific works. However, he has crafted more than his share of non-horror stories that have been made into popular flicks. Anyone remember “Stand by Me” or “The Shawshank Redemption”? Even stories like The Running Man and The Dark Tower series fit in genres other than horror.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that The Life of Chuck is a successful Stephen King adaptation. In the hands of Mike Flanagan, who made the superb “Doctor Sleep” and the underrated “Gerald’s Game”, King’s masterful storytelling is faithfully adapted. It’s weird, thoughtful, and oddly uplifting. You wouldn’t think the latter with the subject matter, but this is one of King’s most honest, earnest stories, and it’s brilliant.
Divided into three chapters, the first one will definitely confuse the hell out of most people. This is a movie that requires patience, not to be dismissed after the first chapter as ridiculous and given up on. It all makes sense. As the story progresses, you get an appreciation, not only for the great storytelling behind the movie, but also for the sheer love of life that this movie portrays.
Does that mean it doesn’t go into some dark places? No. This movie confronts death, sorrow over the unfairness of life and people, and the loss of our very world. This is still Stephen King, and there’s still a tinge of horror to the proceedings. Much like King at his best, though, it’s horror in the mundane, in the everyday. You can have all your rabid dogs, killer cars, and shape-shifting clowns that you want; there’s nothing more terrifying than life.
The cast is terrific. Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Karen Gillan are the headliners, but even the most minor parts played by actors like Matthew Lillard, Carl Lumbly, Heather Langenkamp, David Dastmalchian, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Rahul Kohl, and Annalise Basso matter. Nick Offerman is a steady and reassuring voice as the narrator. There isn’t a solitary dull moment in this entire movie, and there’s some shockingly good dancing that I never expected. This movie brings the kitchen sink to you, much like life does, and what more could you expect?
If I have a favourite scene in the entire movie, it’s the scene where Charles randomly starts dancing when he hears Taylor beating her drums so masterfully in the square. There’s just such freedom and joy with Hiddleston’s performance, an awakening of purity that I never expected. This is a movie where you should walk in with no expectations and just let the film take you on its journey. This is Stephen King at his best, and when he’s at his best, there’s no one better.