‘The Life of Chuck’ eclectically celebrates all of the little joys that makes life worth living

“I contain multitudes.” - Chuck in ‘The Life of Chuck’
Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) in THE LIFE OF CHUCK.
Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) in THE LIFE OF CHUCK.(Courtesy of Neon)
Published: Jun. 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM MST
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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — We all exist in our own universe.

Synopsis

In The Life of Chuck, the world appears to be coming to an end. Constant natural disasters cause chunks of California to break off into the ocean, the internet has gone down, and people have become generally disillusioned with life itself. As the world crumbles, the characters continue to see billboards, commercials, and all sorts of other invasive advertisements thanking the mysterious Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) for his 39 years of service. What exactly is going on, and who is this Chuck guy and why is he so important?

My thoughts

If there’s any artist out there synonymous with the word “horror”, then it has to be Stephen King. He’s created everything from cosmic, child-eating beings who can turn into clowns, to possessed cars, rabid dogs, and psychic teenagers; the list goes on and on. The man has terrified readers and audiences for generations, giving us some of the most terrifying stories and creatures of our time.

When you’re such a prolific writer that you’ve churned out over 60 novels and 200 short stories, of course they can’t all be horror. It’s necessary to branch out in some way and Stephen King has pretty much done it all: horror, suspense, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and yes, even straightforward character dramas with barely any, or no, supernatural elements to be found. Some of those more grounded stories are even considered some of his best, such as Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

Some may find it hard to believe that somebody whose imagination conjures up such horrifying concepts can also write realistic, character-driven stories, especially positive and uplifting ones. It all makes sense, though. If you’re able to tap into the darker sides of humanity so effortlessly, then it only makes sense to be just as in tune with the opposite.

Walking backward through life

Based on King’s short story from the collection If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck is one of those movies that’s pretty much impossible to say what it’s really about without just explaining the whole thing from beginning to end. The odd thing is that you really can’t explain it from beginning to end because the story itself doesn’t move from beginning to end. No, this isn’t the movie literally being played in reverse, but the story is given to us in a three-act structure with Act 3 being first and Act 1 being last.

The first (third) act features schoolteacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he navigates this apparent apocalyptic scenario the world finds itself in. As far as movies depicting world-ending events, this was by far one of the most bleak and realistic feelings of them all. If all the signs were there that everything as we know it is imminently coming to an end, I could imagine many people just shambling around until it’s finally lights out just like we see here.

This act is appropriately bleak and oppressive, especially with the smiling face of Chuck constantly looming over our characters. Since we’re experiencing the end of the story first, there’s a mystery surrounding it all that you’ll just have to walk backward through to get the full picture. I haven’t read King’s original short story, but I know it follows this reverse three-act structure, and from what I’ve gathered from King fans, this is a pretty faithful adaptation.

Writer-director Mike Flanagan returns to adapt Stephen King for his third film in a row, becoming the new Frank Darabont in a way, serving as a shepherd for quality King adaptations. This isn’t just Flanagan’s best film based on King’s work, but his most complete, emotionally resonant, and overall best film yet. It’s also the first project of his that has nothing to do with horror, showing he’s more than capable of working in other genres.

What works about his films is that they’re always character-driven, so I’m sure it was easy for him to strip out the horror and focus completely on the people. In true Flanagan fashion, The Life of Chuck is full of lengthy monologues of characters discussing the meaning of life in various personal ways. Mathematics is a big theme in the movie, being looked at as a universal truth that never lies. This practically guides Chuck’s entire worldview and how he lives his entire life, all because of a speech from his accountant grandfather Albie (Mark Hamill).

It doesn’t really matter if these constant conversations end up turning into monologues when the dialogue and actors are all this good. The Life of Chuck has a phenomenal ensemble cast featuring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Carl Lumbly, David Dastmalchian, Heather Langenkamp, Annalise Basso, Mia Sara (who came out of retirement for this), Benjamin Pajak, Jacob Tremblay, and Mark Hamill in the best live-action performance of his career. Matthew Lillard was the standout in his brief scene and gave a glimpse that he could possibly have an Oscar coming his way one day.

I feel like the “why” of the initial world-ending mystery is pretty clear once the first act wraps up as Flanagan carefully plants the seeds of what it all means as we work backward through the story. It’s really not as esoteric as I’m making it seem, with characters repeating the same themes and a narration courtesy of Nick Offerman clearly spelling out what’s going on for the audience. That’s not really a negative, as all these pieces beautifully come together.

Feeling the music

Except for some brief moments, the second act is the only time you’ll be seeing Tom Hiddleston, which one might find odd considering he’s the top-billed actor, the only one on some of the posters, and plays the titular Chuck. He makes the most of his limited screen time, embodying the spirit of embracing every little thing in life, no matter how insignificant or random, in order to truly live it to the fullest.

It’s not just Chuck embracing life to the fullest, but Flanagan fully embracing the filmmaking medium. The entire middle act is basically a musical sequence where Chuck finds himself spontaneously dancing in the street as drummer Taylor (The Pocket Queen) busks on the sidewalk. He’s joined by Janice Halliday (Annalise Basso), a complete stranger, who also finds herself lost in this dancing trance, experiencing along with Chuck what life is all about.

This act is the shortest of the three, but the most important and powerful, representing the story’s themes all through song and dance. It’s one of those sequences that instantly puts a smile on your face and will have you dancing along in your seat. Pure joy and happiness are visualized on the screen with no dialogue or anything overtly flashy; just people being people in the moment. These 10 minutes are a moment of pure, brilliant bliss, easily making it the best movie scene of the year, and one of the best of all time.

Scenes like this are why it’s so hard to pin down what “kind of movie” The Life of Chuck is. It’s no doubt a drama, but it also has brief moments of science fiction, supernatural and psychological horror, as well as turning into a full-blown musical for 10 minutes. However, even if it defies all genre and storytelling conventions, the point the movie is trying to make is crystal clear: life may be difficult and unfair, but it’s the little things that bring us immense joy that make it all worthwhile. This is our only shot at it, so we better make it count any way we can.

The last (first) act is far more conventional as we explore Chuck’s life as a child through young adulthood, wonderfully played by Benjamin Pajak and then briefly by Jacob Tremblay. Tremblay is already an established young talent, so it’s no surprise he was excellent, but this is Pajak’s big-screen debut. He’s a wonderful little actor himself with boundless charisma, fully fleshing out Chuck’s character that we only get glimpses of in adulthood. This segment doesn’t have the eerie intrigue of the first act or the glitz and glamor of the second, so it doesn’t feel as strong, but it’s hard to imagine this story told in a chronological way.

Final verdict

I can certainly see The Life of Chuck being a bit much for some people. The way the story is told is very unconventional and the sentimentality is laid on incredibly thick throughout. That doesn’t deny the universal truths Stephen King and Mike Flanagan are speaking with this story, though. Our existence on this Earth is brief, and despite what you may think, the way you experience it is significant because it’s really all you and how you perceive it. The end will come for us all someday, so the only option is to live it up to the fullest before it’s lights out!

Is it schmaltzy? Sure, but for a movie this unabashedly sappy to actually break through and move me to tears a few times is a testament to the combined storytelling and filmmaking powers of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan. Most movies that are trying to uplift an audience by spinning them some cheesy message on how to live their lives more positively often come off as too saccharine for my more cynical taste buds. The Life of Chuck is a joyfully refreshing contrast to others of its ilk. It makes one want to actually embrace life instead of rolling their eyes at it.

My rating: 9/10

The Life of Chuck is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

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