THE LIFE OF CHUCK
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Benjamin Pajak, Carl Lumbly, Matthew Lillard, Annalise Basso, Samantha Sloyan, Jacob Tremblay, and Nick Offerman
Director: Mike Flanagan
NICK
When you hear the names Mike Flanagan and Stephen King, you’re likely expecting a horror film, but you’d be mistaken with The Life of Chuck. Among Flanagan’s best works, I’m not sure I’ve seen a film look at death and mortality through as beautiful a lens as this film does. I could break down the technical specs (no complaints) and the performances (once again, no complaints), but it’s really about the purity of the film. There are multiple dance numbers, dark comedy, and apocalyptic dread, but Flanagan never loses sight of the hopeful message he wants to send. I wish all films were this sincere.
ADRIANO
The Life of Chuck will make you want to dance and fall in love with life. Writer/director Mike Flanagan ditches his horror comfort zone in favour of a movie that boasts a great ensemble, a fascinating structure that allows one to piece the film together as it goes, and not an ounce of cynicism in sight. Just a movie about allowing your love to guide the things you do, and enjoying the rewards that come with it. If I had to criticize, the movie looks a bit too polished, but I nonetheless loved The Life of Chuck.
BODE
Mike Flanagan has built a reputation as a humanist of horror, prioritizing empathy and emotionality over cheap thrills, which only make the scarier moments hit harder. It’s what makes him the perfect filmmaker to tackle Stephen King; and while I wouldn’t say his latest adaptation, The Life of Chuck, is his best (it’s a little less than the sum of its parts), I still enjoyed seeing his trademarks (non-chronological editing, monologues, etc) applied to one of King’s non-horror works, where even the most sentimental moments of this meditation of memory and mortality feel haunted in a sense. Solid!
AMARÚ
The Life Of Chuck is the most interesting movie about nothing in particular that I’ve seen in some time. That’s because making it about nothing specifically made it about absolutely everything. Director Mike Flanagan utilizes his amazing horror sensibilities to highlight the tragic beauty of life, which sets up the movie’s unique storytelling style and singular universe in ways that prove that even the smallest of details contain multitudes of meaning. Tom Hiddleston and company are brilliant in this extraordinary look at one solitary life, and demonstrate how exquisite it is to live yours to the fullest.
This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.