Despite the hesitancy that not everyone will enjoy the story structure, it’s still a safe option for the whole family, so dance your way to the cinema and check out The Life of Chuck. 

Last year The Life of Chuck won the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award, which means it was voted the best film of the festival. Oftentimes it ends up going to the most emotionally affecting film in competition. Rather than release it last year, Neon opted to wait a year to give it a chance in this award season. It was based on a Stephen King short story and written and directed by Mike Flanagan, with an incredible cast including Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Karen Gillan, Carl Lumbly, Mia Sara, and Mark Hamill, and other actors in Flanagan’s troupe of performers. It seemed like an unbeatable combination. Although I find the plot structure interesting, mileage may vary depending on the person. 

The film begins with the end of the world. The internet is down, natural disasters are occurring everywhere, and famine is spreading across the world. This section of the film centers on teacher Marty Anderson (Ejiofor) and nurse Felicia Gordon (Gillan) who are divorced. They are reconnecting as they feel the end coming near. As they spend their last few days trying to maintain a semblance of normality as the universe is dying, Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) is popping up everywhere, on billboards, on screens, and in windows. They are confused by who he is and why he matters. The film cuts to scenes of Charles dying and his family watching him bedside. I was particularly confused at this point. I assumed Charles was the lynchpin of the universe, and without him, it all goes away. This is true, although he is no deity. This is the universe he has created in his head. This isn’t made clear until later in the film. 

The first act is so confusing, although heartbreaking and moving, but act two is more joyful and makes more sense. It starts with a girl called Taylor (Taylor Gordon) busking on the street on her drum set. Charles is an accountant on a business trip to the city, and he has a wife and child back home. He doesn’t know it yet, but he has cancer. The other essential character in this section is Janice (Annaliese Basso) who was just broken up with by her boyfriend. Charles stops out of nowhere and begins to dance to Taylor’s beat, and he eventually convinces Janice to dance with him. Hiddleston and Basso’s dancing is quite spectacular. The sense of pure freedom and creative expression is so refreshing. Chuck ponders why he stopped walking to dance, but no answers come to mind. It was just a random, beautiful moment where he followed his heart.

The final section of the film is when Charles is at his youngest. He lives with his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara) and isn’t allowed to go into the house’s cupola. Chuck is torn between his love of dance and his grandfather’s insistence on math. In this section, he is played by two different actors, Benjamin Pajak and Jacob Tremblay. While the first two acts make some sense together, this final act, which is the longest, is where everything starts to become clear. Things that seemed random no longer do, and the arc of Chuck’s life is completed. The final section acts like the missing puzzle pieces, although rather than the interior being completed, it’s like the outside structure is finally set. 

While all film criticism is relatively opinion-based, there are some general agreements that almost everyone can agree on, such as bad visual effects, wooden acting, and beautiful cinematography. For example, The Life of Chuck has a beautiful, emotionally tender score that pairs well with the subject matter at hand. I believe most people can agree with that statement. But when it comes to the plot, it comes down so severely to how much you buy into the story structure. I found it charming and it kept me engaged, but I can easily see why this could be a turn-off for so many people. The reverse structure causes the characters to not actively make any choices, turning everything into an eventuality. This sense of predestination can cause an emotional disconnect between the viewer and the film. The film practically spells out the theme rather than have the audience discover it alongside Chuck. Whether you’ll enjoy The Life of Chuck is so dependent on personal taste. It is utterly cheesy, but I’m not one to turn down a slice. On this first watch, I was focused on understanding, but hopefully, on a rewatch, the emotions will wash over me and almost certainly bring me to tears. 

Flanagan is an adept writer-director with a talented group of actors ready to follow him anywhere. The Life of Chuck is well-made and stacked with great performances. It’s such a shame that Tom Hiddleston only has the middle act to shine because I love watching him onscreen. The Chucks were cast so well, a perfect link of child, young adult, and adult. Also, Hamill has a monologue in the final act, his big moment of the film where he makes a case for the purity of math, that it’s absolute truth and a beautiful thing. Although I don’t personally switch over to thinking math is the better option for Chuck, it’s compelling to watch Hamill act with such conviction. And finally, even though I’ve highlighted it already, the score by The Newton Brothers, longtime collaborators with Flanagan, is absolutely gorgeous. 

The overall theme of the film dwindles down to “live life to the fullest” which is a bit simple for a film, although adequate for a short story. Everyone already knows this about life. It’s a mantra that finds its way to throw pillows everywhere under the phrase “Live. Laugh. Love.” Despite the basicness, I couldn’t help but be charmed by The Life of Chuck. It has every making of a tearjerker, and I can see why it won the Audience Award at TIFF. Despite the hesitancy that not everyone will enjoy the story structure, it’s still a safe option for the whole family, so dance your way to the cinema and check out The Life of Chuck. 

Grade: B+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Hamill)

Where to Watch: In Theaters