From Gerald’s Game to Doctor Sleep, few modern filmmakers have a better grasp on Stephen King than Mike Flanagan. Even with an original story like Midnight Mass, you can see the influence that Flanagan drew from King. The Life of Chuck, based on King’s 2020 novella, is being promoted as Flanagan’s first non-horror film. That’s not entirely accurate, as The Life of Chuck is a ghost story. It’s also a coming-of-age story, a family drama, a Gene Kelly-esque musical, a disaster flick, and even a math lesson. Above all else, it’s a movie of multitudes. I’d say it’s not like any film Flanagan has made before, but The Life of Chuck isn’t quite like any film I’ve seen.
The film is told in three acts, starting at the end. By that, I mean the end of the world. California starts falling into the ocean while other disasters pop up across the globe. The internet goes down with TV broadcasts following, making it increasingly hard to share information. Yet, everyone knows what’s happening, even if they can’t explain why. Conventional wisdom initially says climate change, but there’s another force at work. One that can’t be explained. For a teacher named Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), one question looms over all others: who is Chuck?
The town becomes overrun with advertisements thanking Chuck for 39 great years. Nobody seems to know who Chuck is, despite his face being plastered everywhere. Marty wanders the dying earth in search of answers, eventually finding his way to his ex-wife Felicia (Karen Gillan). Act 2 begins to unravel the enigma of Chuck (Tom Hiddleston). Despite receiving top billing, Hiddleston only has one prominent scene. It might be the scene of his career, though, mixing the playfulness of Chaplin or Astaire as Chuck shares a spontaneous dance with a stranger (Annalise Basso) set to a street musician’s (Taylor Gordon) beat. It’s not a life-changing event, but it defines who Chuck is behind the suit and briefcase.
Act 1 takes us back to Chuck’s childhood where he’s played by Benjamin Pajak and Jacob Tremblay. Mia Sara, best known to Ferris Bueller fans as Sloane Peterson, returns to the spotlight as Chuck’s grandmother. Those who’ve been following his voiceover work know that Mark Hamill’s range extends far beyond Luke Skywalker. Flanagan is one of the few live-action directors to truly notice Hamill’s versatility. Hamill gives a Best Supporting Actor caliber performance as Chuck’s grandfather. Chuck hangs on every word his grandmother says. Even with a subject as dull as math, Hamill delivers his lines with such impassioned gravitas the audience is sent through a stargate of equations.
Although his grandfather pushes him to pursue math, Chuck’s heart is in dance. In dance class, get gets partnered with the older and taller Cat McCoy (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss). There’s an innocent flirtation between the two kids, although Cat isn’t the girl who Chuck will later marry. In fact, Chuck’s future wife and son are the only two characters who aren’t very well-defined. This seemed odd at first, but then I realized that The Life of Chuck isn’t supposed to be about them. It’s about the ones who have come and gone from Chuck’s life. Some he knew well, others he knew briefly, but all of them have stuck with Chuck years later.
Some might argue The Life of Chuck explains too much in its third act. Admittedly, I would’ve preferred a little more ambiguity, especially concerning what lies behind a locked door in Chuck’s house. It helps that the narration is delivered by Nick Offerman, who can make even the most long-winded exposition flow off the tongue. As on the nose as it can be, The Life of Chuck is still a wonderful film with characters you want to soak up every minute with. At 110 minutes, I honestly could’ve spent even more time with these people. Maybe that’s keeping with the movie’s theme, however. To quote a character with close ties to Mia Sara, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Don’t miss The Life of Chuck.