Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard
The Life of Chuck doesn't have a plot, and it doesn't need one. It is an exhilarating experience to watch and even more so to dissect. Part of its brilliance is how it challenges the viewer to connect the dots and understand how everything fits into the story of an ordinary man whose life wasn't extraordinary nor did extraordinary things happen to him (like Forrest Gump). But he mattered to those he loved and we feel a sense of loss that he only lived to 39, but more on that shortly.
The Life of Chuck is based on a Stephen King short story and the opening scenes play like a planet-wide horror film. At first, a teacher's (Ejiofor) class is interrupted by a breaking news story on the students' phones that part of California has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean following an earthquake. Then, the internet goes out worldwide as well as television reception, but not after we are learning this could very well be the end of days. Traffic is at a standstill everywhere as people are evacuating the area. Yet, there are billboards celebrating "Chuck" and thanking him for 39 years. The teacher thinks this is announcing an accountant's retirement, but when ads appear on tv about Chuck even after the signal is lost, we sense this is not by accident. Who is Chuck? Why is he being thanked for 39 years? The rest of the Life of Chuck studies those questions in three parts.
Trying to recap the plot and making it sound sensible is a fool's errand, so I won't proceed much further except to say we meet Chuck in act two, watch him dance on the street in perfect rhythm with a stranger, and then learn he is dying from a brain tumor. The story is narrated (by Nick Offerman) who is able to engross us in this story by telling us what we know, what we think we know, and then what we are surprised to learn about Chuck. The bulk of the movie takes place in Chuck's childhood and adolescence, where he lives with his loving grandparents (Hamill and Sara) following the unexpected death of his parents in a car crash. It is here where Chuck learns who he is and what he loves. Hamill gives a speech about the art of numbers and the certainty of mathematics which not only makes sense, but explains his passion for them.
I know I'm making The Life of Chuck sound like a downer of a movie, but it is not. Yes, there are elements of sadness like life itself, but also seemingly random characters and bits of information which all find a way to come together cohesively (albeit not linear) and tell a moving, emotional story with a subtle, but no less impactful conclusion. The Life of Chuck is a magical movie in which you have to pay attention, and you find that you will be happy you did.
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