The Life of Chuck

Mike Flanagan has created some of the best horror films & series of the past five years. The writer/director of "Midnight Mass" and "The Haunting of Hill House" also delivered one of the best Stephen King film adaptions ever made, "Doctor Sleep". If you haven't seen that sequel to "The Shining", its fantastic.

So you might think that you're in for more horror with his new film adaption of King's short story, THE LIFE OF CHUCK.

Nope, constant King readers know that Chuck falls into the superb King genre of "The Shawshank Redemption" or "The Green MIle".

But what I didn't expect going in was for Flanagan to expand that short, quirky tale into a modern day Frank Capra tale of affirmation and the kind, human connections between all of us.

If that sounds ponderous, it's not. Think joyous. Think Uplifting.

Flanagan hasn't created a traditional tale either.

It opens with Act 3.

The world seems to be approaching its end times.

We don't see this in $100 million special effects shots. We experience it as everyday people in a small town would. Snippets of news and talking heads on the news, shakily delivered on a TV signal that seems intermittent at best.

Emergency vehicles pass in the street and smoke seems to rise up in the distance, or is that just what we expect?

California is breaking off and sliding into the ocean in huge chunks.

The internet seems to be on it's last legs.

School teacher Marty Anderson (the always brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor) tries to carry on his parent/teacher conferences, but the parents treat it more like a therapy session, bitching about the internet being down, no matter how much Marty reminds them that the library is still open next door.

Just listen to the rhythm and words of the conversation between Marty and one parent, Josh (David Dastmalchian making a hell of an impression in a small role) as they talk about the world. The scene is very early in the film and it was the first of many moments here that Flanagan's writing, in both structure and dialogue, wow'd me. He writes the way people speak, he creates moments that feel so real, they create a bond between you and the characters that draws you deeply into the story.

It's Flanagan's gift. Which makes me incredibly excited that he's currently creating a wholly new take on "The Exorcist". I'm already scared. But back to Chuck.

Marty heads home to his lonely existence, trying to bury himself in old movies.

Across town, nurse Felicia Gordon (Karen Gillan) watches as the structure in the town's hospital begins to fall apart. As electronics and communication seem to fail, staff begins to not show up for work. Everyday life begins to slip away.

A giant sink hole opens up downtown.

The news gets harder to watch, both by definition and in definition.

And then, billboards start to pop up. TV's pop back into high-def to share the same message with a normal looking accountant's picture.

"CHARLES KRANTZ 39 Great Years! Thanks Chuck!"

The message seems to be the only thing that cuts through the failing ecosystem to get delivered clearly. Everywhere.

Why?

It's just the first of many of life's mysteries that will be explored with heart in Flanagan & King's tale.

Act Two is the middle of our story, but we see it informed by what we know will follow. We meet Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) a middle aged accountant visiting our small town for a conference. Between his speaking engagements at the event, he decides to take a stroll downtown, where he meets drummer/busker Taylor.

Their chance meeting and what follows is a fun, uplifting sequence that changes & touches the lives of Chuck, Taylor and Janice (Annalise Basso) a young passerby who has just broken up with her boyfriend and needs something wonderful to happen.

It does.

Act 3 is the start of our story. We meet Chuck as a boy and he's played by two talented young actors as the story evolves. Benjamin Pajak plays Chucks 11-12 year old self, living with his grandparents Sarah (Mia Sara returning to acting after many years, telling Flanagan she'd star in anything he made after seeing "Midnight Mass") and Albie (Mark Hamill in his best performance in decades).

Chuck has lost his parents, but Sarah and Albie are kind guides for him to dance and math, both of which heavily influence our tale.

Older teen Chuck (played by Jacob Tremblay from "Doctor Sleep" and "Room") brings the story to a powerful conclusion as all the mysteries and secrets of the that locked attic that Ablie closely guarded, come to fruition.

I've not even mentioned the many, many other characters in Chuck's orbit that come and go, each making a big impression and all perfectly cast. Many of Flanagan's incredibly talented usual stable of actors return here and deliver across the board.

As with all of Flanagan's work, there are so many moments that emotionally resonate. Many of Chuck's life choices are unpredictable in their spontaneity, with all the unexpected twists and turns of real life.

As the movie unfolds, it doesn't hold huge scares or grand scale action scenes. The power of the film is in the people we meet and the ties that bind.

While it may appear to be a simple story on the surface, Flanagan's non-linear structure is just the first hint at what truly lies beneath the surface. Watch the backgrounds in key sequences.

Is that who I think it is?

Is time fluid?

As our personal existence nears the end, do the best moments of our past flood to the forefront?

I am multitudes.

What a beautiful, uplifting and powerful tale of life, love and caring.

Each viewing will, I'm sure, bring even more treasures from the past to discover.

THE LIFE OF CHUCK is one of the best films of 2025 so far, an A+.