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“The Life of Chuck” is a match made in heaven between Mike Flanagan and Stephen King, but not in the way you’d think. These two horror legends have joined forces to create a captivating story that is more reminiscent of mainstream King adaptations like “Stand by Me” and “The Shawshank Redemption” than their previous terrifying works.
What’s “The Life of Chuck” about? Well, without giving away any spoilers, the movie kicks off in a world plagued by disasters, where the internet is even down – yes, even PornHub. The story follows Marty Anderson, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, as he navigates this chaotic new reality and tries to make sense of a mysterious advertisement featuring Charles “Chuck” Krantz, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston.
“The Life of Chuck” delves into the theme of life in the face of death, exploring grief with a sense of defiance and joy. The film beautifully captures the moments before loss, highlighting the meaningful events that define a person’s life. Flanagan skillfully weaves together these moments to create a poignant and emotionally resonant narrative.
The cast of “The Life of Chuck” is nothing short of stellar, with standout performances from Ejiofor, Gillan, Hiddleston, and a host of other talented actors. Each character brings depth and complexity to the story, ultimately delivering a film that is not only one of Flanagan’s best works but also a standout adaptation of King’s writing.
In conclusion, “The Life of Chuck” is a must-watch for fans of both Flanagan and King, offering a unique and compelling take on life, death, and the human experience.
Stephen King’s ‘The Life of Chuck’ adaptation wows audiences
It’s incredible. This is a movie that contains so much that it just shouldn’t work. It’s easy to imagine an iteration that fell too hard into the darkness, or depended too intensely on treacly sentimentality, or relied on its dashing star power to gloss over some underwritten turns. But The Life of Chuck is masterfully told. Like King’s most moving adaptations, it doesn’t play by standard rules of structure or audience expectations. It demands we follow the winding road through playful dialogue, painful lows, and rollicking highs, to an unknown beyond. It’s surprising and upsetting, funny and profound. I laughed hard, cried ‘til my eyes ached, and once gasped so loud that I heard it echo across a theater struck silent by a moment both shocking and tender.
Hope for a theatrical release
As I write this, The Life of Chuck has no distributor, meaning we don’t know if or when it might come to a theater near you. But following a rousing world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which I attended, this awesome adaptation won the People’s Choice Award. While it seems certain it will be bought, here’s hoping that acquisition will lead to a theatrical release. There are some movies that really deserve to be seen in a big theater, surrounded by people — a community – tied to each other in the heady experience of cinematic art, and The Life of Chuck is one of them. It is glorious.
UPDATE: Jun. 3, 2025, 4:32 p.m. EDT “The Life of Chuck” was reviewed out of the world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. This review, originally published Sept. 19, 2024, has been updated to include the latest screening information.
