The Life of Chuck
Review: This film is an absolute roller coaster. The newest Stephen King adaptation to come to the big screen, this is one of the best of King’s adaptations in a long time, and in my opinion, one of the top King adaptation films (I’m not a horror guy). The film is broken into three acts and they actually play in reverse order. The film starts with Act Three and, if you’re like me, you will be incredibly confused during this act. I followed what was happening, but not where or why, and the film does a great job of giving you that ‘a-ha’ moment when you realize what is really happening. Sorry, that’s so vague. I just don’t want to spoil the film. Then in Act Two we truly get acquainted with the titular Chuck, played in his adult years by Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston was so easily endearing in a role that is honestly quite reserved & simplistic. The film finally gets into Act One where we learn about Chuck’s background and get to see his childhood. These flashbacks, as well as some details in Act Two shed light on everything that occurred in Act Three leading to that ‘a-ha’ moments. Chuck is played by three young actors at various points in his childhood, Cody Flanagan at age 7, Benjamin Pajak at age 11, & Jacob Tremblay at age 17. Each of these actors seamlessly slides into the role, and they all look incredibly similar to both each other & Hiddleston, making it apparent you’re following the same character. I want to especially shoutout Pajak because it feels as though we spend more time with him than any of the other Chucks, and he gives a great performance. Other actors that appear throughout the acts include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Carl Lumbly, Annalise Basso, Taylor Gordon, Kate Siegel, Trinity Bliss, & Samantha Sloyan. I wanted to separately mention Mia Sara, who gives a brief but hugely impactful performance as Chuck’s grandmother in the first role I’ve personally seen her in since ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’ Even more actors that appear in super brief appearances include Harvey Guillén, Matthew Lillard, Heather Langenkamp, Rahul Kohli, Q’orianka Kilcher, and David Dastmalchian, who delivers a very notable monologue at the beginning of the film. Finally, the film was narrated wonderfully by Nick Offerman. The film was well shot, well edited, & just all around well made, making it one of the best films I’ve seen this year.
High: This movie made me feel all the feelings. There were a lot of powerful scenes, lines, & motifs. But what I want to point to the most as making me truly feel was the various dance scenes. The first one on the street just made me grin and tap my foot. The second one in the kitchen made me genuinely want to cry. And the final one at the school dance filled me with a sense of pride & achievement.
Low: I really wish we would’ve been able to spend more time with Tom Hiddleston’s Chuck. The second act, which is the one he was primarily featured in, felt the shortest. The film only had a 111 minute runtime and I think a few more minutes could’ve been tacked on featuring Hiddleston. He was truly so good in this film, but the limiting factor of his performance was screen time.
Rating: 9/10
