“I am large; I contain multitudes.”
I know it may only be June, and it seems strange to be talking about awards season already, but if The Life of Chuck doesn’t take home an armful of awards this year, it will be a criminal shame. I first read the Stephen King novella when it was released in his collection If It Bleeds (2020), it was a story that you can tell King wrote during the COVID-19 panic. I remember liking the story, but it wasn’t one of my favorites in the collection. What stood out the most was the unique way he wrote the story about the end of the world. It didn’t really surprise me that the story was being adapted into a film considering just how many Stephen King stories are brought to the big screen and streaming every year. It was the fact that Mike Flanagan signed on to write and direct that got me excited about this project. For those who may not know, Mike Flanagan has been making a name for himself in the horror genre. The Haunting on Hill House, Midnight Mass, Hush, Doctor Sleep, The Fall of the House of Usher and Gerald’s Game are all hits in his filmography, and frankly, he just hasn’t disappointed me yet. But the surprising thing about The Life of Chuck is that it’s not a horror story, at least not in any traditional sense, so how would Flanagan fare with this project in which at first glance appears he’s stepping out of his comfort zone?
The film opens with the title card “Act Three”, and it is appropriate, because in any other traditional story this would be the final act of the film with the world coming to the end. We meet Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he’s trying to teach his class about Walt Whitman. His class is interrupted by an alert that a part of California has broken off following a 9.1 earthquake. During the panic we also meet Felicia (Karen Gillian), a nurse who is working in a hospital, and she is on the front lines of the chaos and is dealing with losing many patients at a rapid rate. The world is dealing with a multitude of natural disasters, the internet going out, and as the world is in a panic fearing the end is near, signs and commercials are popping up of Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) for his 39 years of service. No one seems to know who Chuck is, but his name and face seems to pop up all over the place. This is a very bleak start to the film as we meet characters that are coming to grips with their mortality, but through this we see Marty and Felicia rekindle their relationship. As they realize if the end really is near, do they really want to go through it alone?
This portion of the film really hit hard for me considering last year I nearly died in a hospital from an infection, and it was when the area I lived in was being evacuated before Hurricane Milton hit. Some of the thoughts that the characters share in this film I thought about myself while in a hospital bed not knowing what was going on in the outside world as a hurricane was tearing through the city. I know that’s why this film resonates and hits home for me, and I’m OK with that. Thankfully this film is full of doom and gloom, but in fact when “Act Two” begins, it’s a breath of fresh air, and damn, does this really become a touching and thought-provoking film.
“Act Two” introduces us to Chuck as an adult, he’s just a regular guy and well the one thing that is special about him is that he is an incredible dancer. We get this fantastic dance number between Chuck and Janice (Annalise Basso), I don’t want to spoil much about this portion of the film but it’s one of those moments I feel just captures what cinema is all about and it is definitely a moment that is a throwback to “The Golden Age” of Hollywood with the musical numbers and everything was just so wholesome.
Then we get to “Act Three” where we get the story about who Chuck is as a child and we learn about his life being raised by his grandparents played by Mia Sara and Mark Hamill. This act mostly follows a younger Chuck (Benjamin Pajak) and what got him into dancing. I seriously can’t express how emotional and charming this film is and a big part of the heart of this film is in the “Act Three” story, I don’t want to delve into it much but there is a beautiful balance of drama and mystery that unfolds here. This coming of age portion of the film just oozes with what makes many Stephen King stories great where he captures the innocence of childhood and the impact of trauma can have on a person. We see this in The Body aka Stand By Me, Hearts in Atlantis, It and several other stories.
While watching this I couldn’t help but be reminded about The Shawshank Redemption and the quote “Hope is a dangerous thing.” As well as “Get busy living or get busy dying.” The Life of Chuck very much shares these sentiments though it definitely doesn’t take place in such a bleak setting. A good portion of this film has this warmth and vibrancy to it as though Flanagan wants to remind his audience that there is a lot of warmth and love in this world. Sure it opens up with the end of the world but the real story is about finding what truly matters in life and pursuing it. When you look at the news and social media and you see the negativity and divisiveness I wonder if a film like this has a real chance at finding an audience that wants to see a film with heart and optimism.
Another interesting comparison to The Shawshank Redemption is the manner in how The Life of Chuck has been released. Both films got their initial releases in the summertime, eventually The Shawshank Redemption got a rerelease in the fall for an awards push but it still didn’t do that great at the box office. I feel The Life of Chuck is going to suffer the same fate, this just isn’t a film that can compete with summer blockbusters and the trailer is relatively vague about the story (which is understandable). It debuted with only a $2 million take at the box office and honestly I’m not all that surprised. This is a film that is going to have to thrive on word of mouth and when award season comes around I’m certain this will be a title that gets a lot of attention.
Every year there are movies that come along that get attention and are quickly forgotten 6 months later. Then occasionally there is that special film that comes out that just strikes an emotional chord. While I know there are several good movies coming out later this year, some films that may even be great but for me The Life of Chuck is the one I connected to and I just don’t see another film coming out that evokes this kind of emotional response (though the trailer for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey has a chance). If you want a movie with heart and soul that is reliant on special FX this is the one I feel you should check out, it’s like a warm comforting hug from a loved one that makes you feel good and honestly I feel we could use more films like that right about now.
