The Life Of Chuck - Film Review Friday
“It’s the waiting that’s the hardest part”
As I walked out of the theatre, I concluded that those 2 hours spent watching ‘The Life Of Chuck’ were well spent. I felt high but sober, full but not stuffed. I felt the Earth slow for a few minutes. I felt my feet walk me to my car, but not as fast as they usually do. My shoes took their time. I had my eyes on the pavement and no reason to look up. I had no reason to see where I was going., ‘The Life Of Chuck’ made it clear that the most important thing is going at all. That sweet lull lasted the whole way home.
‘The Life Of Chuck’ is a fantasy drama film directed by Mike Flanagan, known for such films as ‘Hush’, ‘Before I Wake’ and two other Stephen King adaptations, ‘Gerald’s Game’ and ‘Doctor Sleep’. Despite such dedication to the horror genre, Flanagan shows his strength here in the dramatic genre, creating a film that's heartfelt, emotionally enriching and can speak to all of us. While we can all enjoy an occasional bloodbath, it takes a very rare director to have you sitting through the credits, pondering about what to do with your life.
We all will die. We all will die. We all will die. Yet no matter how many times we repeat this, death is almost inconceivable to us. It might’ve been most conceivable during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the novella of the same name was published, and yet, a lot of us still held onto the belief that we won’t die. We might’ve gone on wasting precious moments. ‘The Life Of Chuck’ is a celebration of those precious moments.
Chuck’s life is shown to us in 3 parts in reverse, from death to childhood. We’re first introduced to him through TV and radio advertisements, congratulating him on 39 great years. But why? He's just an accountant, why do we need to know about him? And why does the world seem to be ending? Across 2 hours, we visit seemingly unimportant, but highly enjoyable, relatable and admirable moments in his life. Before Chuck can die, we have to ask ourselves, “who the hell is Chuck?”
Although he has a few lines of dialogue, Tom Hiddleston pulls off a stellar performance as Chuck. His physical acting really shines through in this role, portraying someone who could be just like us, confront conflicts with a soft smile and a steady step. Through his facial expressions alone, he is able to portray a well-meaning everyman who would gladly keep the world going just because it's the right thing to do. His performance’s highlight is an amazing dance in Act 2, a routine that would rival any of Sam Rockwell's.
Benjamin Pajak plays 11-year-old Chuck in Act 1, revealing Chuck’s well-kept secrets and how he became such a talented dancer. Pajak is easily my second favourite actor in the film after Hiddleston. He flawlessly shows both the joys and pains of youth; joys like learning to dance and developing a crush and pains like finding out your grandfather has already planned your future, despite your wishes.
To go through each performance would take forever, given the multitude of famous names in the ensemble. Nick Offerman narrates the film with that sweet voice that feels like a warm embrace. Matthew Lillard gives a small but heartbreaking performance in Act 3 as the town slowly comes to terms with the ever-nearing apocalypse. Mark Hamill plays Albie, Chuck's grandfather and performs a wonderful blend of terrifying father figure and compassionate older mentor.
It's easy to write off ‘The Life Of Chuck’ as another “live life while you can” film, but that doesn't take away its beauty. Sure, we've learnt the same lesson from films like ‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’, ‘Into The Wild’ and ‘Midnight In Paris', but it's a lesson we forget too easily. We need to be reminded constantly; we need to keep looking for new perspectives or nothing but trouble will happen. Maybe worse – maybe trouble won't even happen. Just nothing. So go out and remind yourself, get that smooth high of seeing an amazing film.
