THE STORY – The world feels like it’s ending and everybody’s saying goodbye to Chuck. Wherever Marty goes, he can’t get away from Charles Krantz. His face is showing up on billboards, window signs — even TV commercials. What’s so special about this seemingly ordinary accountant and why does he warrant such a sendoff?
THE CAST – Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Carl Lumbly, Benjamin Pajak, Jacob Tremblay & Mark Hamill
THE TEAM – Mike Flanagan (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 110 Minutes
When Mike Flanagan’s name is attached to a film or TV series, you need to take notice. With films like “Hush” and “Gerald’s Game” and the Netflix series that put him on the map, “The Haunting of Hill House,” Flanagan has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best voices in horror. However, his latest project, “The Life of Chuck,” is a big swing from what we’re used to from him. As an adaptation of a Stephen King novella, it’s also a work by the famed novelist far from the murderous clown or haunted hotel with which we associate him. Told unconventionally from end to beginning, the film is a touching, existential drama that chronicles the life of a husband, father, and accountant as he experiences the moments that define him. It’s a King adaptation, unlike anything you’ve seen. Flanagan’s and King’s dark, spine-chilling brushstrokes are nowhere to be found. Instead, they’re replaced with brushstrokes of the brightest colors that warm the heart.
As a compilation of newsreels flashes across the screen, all showing scenes of worldwide devastation, it’s clear that the end is here. But, surprisingly, the one question on everyone’s mind is, “Who is Charles Krantz?“ Nicknamed Chuck, the words “Thanks Chucks“ are written by an airplane in the sky, painted in graffiti, spoken on the radio, and shown on television. His face is plastered on billboards, along with a message thanking him for “39 great years.“ Everything sucks, but as one character points out, there’s one silver lighting from all this: At least Chuck is retiring. However, unbeknownst to everyone who comes across his image, Chuck is dying of cancer.
Until the world is blanketed by darkness, Chuck illuminates the universe. He starts conversations and brings people together to take their minds off a hopeless reality. However, an interpretation can be made that Chuck himself created this universe. With the multitudes we all contain, like Chuck, we create our own universe from our experiences and the people we meet. As Chuck lies dying, his story is being cut short, but he can finish it still in his mind until all the stars go out.
Chuck’s life is often defined by tragedy, but as Flanagan frequently does with his other works, the director and screenwriter find light and warmth in the darkness. Flanagan jubilantly shares the beauty and complexity of being human and being alive by trading spooks for dancing shoes. And, yes, you read that correctly: dancing shoes. In a scene that encapsulates the entire film’s joyful feeling, a drummer (played by Taylor Gordon as an original music composition) is busking on a bustling street. Not believing that anyone will stop and pay attention, she’s surprised when Chuck does. Next thing you know, Chuck is asking a recently dumped young woman (Annalise Basso) to dance. What ensues is a dance number resembling that of Old Hollywood partners like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth. The perfectly choreographed scene has an infectious, feel-good energy that will make you want to rewatch it. In stopping to listen and starting to dance, Chuck captures the magical experience of those unexpected moments in life and the impact of the connections we make when we least expect it.
“The Life of Chuck“ is all about connection. Various connections are woven throughout the film. Big or small, everything has a significance. This is especially true for every character. While Hiddleston may be the face of the film, he’s just a small corner of the biggest canvas. From Karen Gillan and Chiwetel Ejiofor – as exes who reconnect – to Mark Hamill as Chuck’s grandfather – who steers his life path away from dance and to accounting – to Kate Siegel as Chuck’s sixth-grade teacher who shows him that he contains multitudes, Flanagan is so skilled at making sure that even the smallest player has an impact. Chuck has either had an impact on the other characters, or they have had an impact on him, but whichever it is, no plot thread feels out of place in Chuck’s story. Every performance brings so much emotion to this moving, philosophical depiction of one man’s existence. There’s also a surprising amount of humor in scenes that are often melancholy. We already know Flanagan has a handle on darkness, but he surprises here by fusing that with comedy, creating such a fun experience.
“The Life of Chuck“ is, above all, life-affirming. We don’t know how our story will end. “It’s the waiting that’s the hard part,” Chuck’s grandfather once told him – and it’s true. Chuck didn’t know he only had nine months left to live, but he stopped to listen to the music and dance anyway.
