The Life of Chuck – Film Review

Director – Mike Flanagan
Writers – Mike Flanagan, Stephen King
Stars – Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak

The story starts with Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor). He’s a teacher at a local high school in America, but in recent times, he’s found it difficult to get the attention of his students. He reads to them the words of poets like Walt Whitman, but their attention seems to be elsewhere. There have been a series of natural disasters, and a large portion of California has disappeared into the sea. Marty is starting to hear stories that these are the end of days, but one unusual thing he notices are the billboards about a man called Charles Krantz. They proclaim it’s been 39 great years, but no one seems to know who exactly Chuck is.

This is a new film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. He’s primarily known as a director for Horror films such as Doctor Sleep and The Haunting of Hill House. This new film is quite a departure from his other work, although it is adapted from a Stephen King short story of the same name. There is a long history of Stephen King’s work being converted to the screen with huge success, from Stand by Me to The Shawshank Redemption and The Shining. This is another one to add to the list.

The film takes us through Chuck’s life at a variety of times, telling the story out of sequence so we start with him in middle age and go back to his childhood days. Four actors play Charles throughout his life, with Tom Hiddleston the best known of them. One unusual aspect of the film is the focus on dance. Chuck fell in love with dance at an early age, and it stayed with him. There is a science fiction premise to the film, but really, it’s a simple story of a man’s life. You may be able to guess the twist before you even see the film, but there’s much to enjoy in how the story is told. It’s a film about appreciating your life and enjoying the tender moments with your loved ones. It’s a feel-good film and an enjoyable one.