On a rainy Saturday I took a deep dive into the surreal and sentimental life of Mr Chuck, aka Charles Krantz, a new movie, The Life of Chuck, soon to show at Luna Cinemas.
Imagine a Mike Flanagan (producer) and Stephen King (author extraodinaire) collaboration – both these guys are masters of horror, supernatural fiction and suspense, but this isn’t a horror movie. It’s more of a feelgood tearjerker.
I emerged from the cinema in a similar state to waking from a fever-induced dream, a jumble of shape-shifting images that didn’t really make sense.
The Life of Chuck was adapted from a Stephen King Novella, and explores the life of Chuck who dies at the age of 39 from a brain tumour. It’s told in reverse chronological order and begins with Act 3, ‘Thanks Chuck’. To confuse the viewer, this part of the movie takes place in Chuck’s head. The apocalypse is happening; the world that’s ending is Chuck’s life ending. There are floods, fires, global temperatures of 51 degrees, mass suicides, no TV, no mobile coverage or Wi-Fi. Then the stars begin to turn off.
The reverse chronological structure takes us on Chuck’s life from adulthood to adolescence then childhood. Throughout, he experiences the wonder of love, heartbreak and loss. The five stages of grief made famous by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross are mentioned. Also, the worst part of dying – the waiting!
Tom Hiddleston plays adult Chuck and dances his way through death and dystopia. (In real life, Tom is a trained dancer). There is a fabulous dance scene in Act 2. He is dressed in a sensible grey suit, blue shirt and tie, and brown oxford shoes. He stops to watch a busking drummer girl and then starts to dance.
Both as a child and an adult he dances through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. But he chooses to be an accountant rather than a dancer.
The words from Walt Whitman’s Poem, ‘Song of Myself” kept popping up too. ‘I am wonderful, I deserve to be wonderful and I contain multitudes’, and opens the door to Chuck’s story arc. Every individual’s consciousness contains a universe; and when that person dies, that world dies with them.
To sum up, Mr Chuck is a metaphor, part ghost story (I forgot to mention the cupola that might have been haunted), part existential therapy session and part expressive dance. Oh, and there’s a girl on roller skates throughout the movie.
I’m giving this movie 9 out of 10, because I’m still thinking about it. It may not have made linear sense, just like the stages of grief. But it has reminded me to treasure every second and the magic of life. Watch it if you’ve ever lost someone or yourself.
The Life of Chuck can be seen @Luna Cinemas from 14 August 2025.
By Jean Hudson
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