Do we contain multitudes?
Main Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Mia Sara
Director: Mike Flanagan
Are you tired of blockbusters and epics and action heroes and the seemingly endless horrors of current events? I am. I want smaller stories, beautiful craftsmanship, and movies that are someone’s labor of love. I want The Life of Chuck.
The Life of Chuck is based on a Stephen King short story and directed by Mike Flanagan (who I know mostly from his outstanding horror series The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor). But this is not a horror story, not even a little. It’s the story of a life, specifically the life of Chuck Krantz.
We move backwards through Chuck’s life, beginning in a crumbling world that is bewilderingly bidding Chuck farewell. Here we meet school teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who introduces us to Carl Sagan’s cosmic calendar and sets the tone for the rest of the film. As we move backwards, we learn about Chuck’s adulthood, then his childhood, thorough a series of narrated vignettes. Nick Offerman is our Rod Serling, traveling through space and time, introducing us to the people, places, and events that shape a life.
The Life of Chuck is not a fable about what we could be or should be, it’s a fairy tale about what we might be. What do these extraordinary brains of ours create from a lifetime of experiences? There’s no bullshit preaching about what it means to live a worthy life. Chuck is not a martyr or a saint. He’s just a person, and in this story, that’s wondrous enough.
The set pieces and cinematography are wonderful. From the color-drenched downtown street that hosts a glorious dance scene to the cozy home that hides a secret to the streets of the apocalypse, every location feels at least a little bit unreal. There’s a sort of crisp timelessness to most of the film that is very in keeping with the overall tone.
Rob Reiner and Frank Darabont set the standard for Stephen King adaptations and Mike Flanagan recaptures that magic more than 30 years later. The Life of Chuck is generally light and optimistic, with a dash of the supernatural. It’s a perfect antidote to the overly serious, trauma-filled marathons that fill the Oscar nominations and the silly action comedies that fill the theaters. I loved it.
Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills. TV and indie movies are her jam.
