FILM REVIEW: THE LIFE OF CHUCK (15) ESP RATING: 4/5

A confusing, comforting surprise.

Tom Hiddleston recently admitted in an interview that The Life of Chuck is ‘a confusing film to describe.’

Having now seen it myself, I can say without hesitation: he’s absolutely right.

Adapted by Mike Flanagan from Stephen King’s novella in If It Bleeds, this is no straightforward story. Instead, it unfolds in three distinct parts – told in reverse. The opening act is almost apocalyptic: the world seems to be slowly ending, and among the chaos, strange billboards and adverts start popping up everywhere, thanking a man named Chuck for ‘39 great years.’ Nobody knows who Chuck is. His presence hovers over the end of the world like a quiet mystery.

From there, the film steadily peels back the layers of Chuck’s life. To say more would be to spoil the experience – because half the joy here lies in piecing together what’s actually happening. More than a conventional narrative, The Life of Chuck feels like a meditation on memory, mortality, and the fleeting beauty of everyday existence.

Which … is probably not what you were expecting, right? I certainly wasn’t.

With Flanagan at the helm – best known for Doctor Sleep, Hush, and The Haunting of Hill House – and King’s name attached, you might walk in expecting their trademark horror. But this isn’t about jump scares or haunted houses (not quite). Instead, it belongs alongside King’s more reflective work, closer in spirit to Stand By Me.

It’s also not quite the ‘Tom Hiddleston movie’ that the marketing suggests. While he plays the adult Chuck, he’s only on screen for about half an hour. The film is more of an ensemble piece, with memorable turns from Jacob Tremblay, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, and even Flanagan’s young son, Cody, as the child version of our protagonist.

This movie will really divide audiences. It’s simply not what we were sold. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

If you let yourself sink into its rhythm, The Life of Chuck becomes something truly special. It’s a story that lingers – more in feeling than in plot. I wasn’t sure it was for me at first. Yet since watching, I’ve caught myself replaying its images, its heart, and one particular dance scene, over and over.

That dance number, on paper, sounds simple enough: Chuck walks past a street busker. At first, he hesitates – caught between self-consciousness and the pull of the music. Then, slowly, his passion for dance takes over.

It’s not a slick, choreographed number. It’s raw, vulnerable, and utterly human. I found myself deeply moved by that moment, perhaps because I’ve been there myself – wanting to give in to the music in a public space but holding back. Chuck doesn’t. He lets go. Maybe we could all stand to be a little more like that.

Overall, this is an enigmatic, slow-burning celebration of life in all its ordinary – and extraordinary – beauty.

If you’re open to experimental storytelling – it might just sneak up on you the way it did on me.

ESP Rating: 4/5

Mike Clarke

SHOWCASE CINEMA DE LUX PETERBOROUGH & ODEON LUXE PETERBOROUGH, OUT NOW

CAST: TOM HIDDLESTON, JACOB TREMBLAY, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, KAREN GILLAN, MIA SARA, KATE SIEGEL, MATTHEW LILLARD & MARK HAMILL

RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 51 MINS

DIRECTOR: MIKE FLANAGAN

FILM REVIEW VENUE: SHOWCASE CINEMA DE LUX PETERBOROUGH

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