23/26
A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Cranston. Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and David Dastmalkian have all appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though none of them have shared a scene together. Hiddleston is Loki and is best associated with the Thor films (2011) and the Loki television series (2021), Gillan is Nebula and is best associated with the Verndaar Vetrarbrautarinnaras films (2014), Ejiofor is Baron Mordo from the Doctor Strange films (2016), and Dastmalkian is Kurt from the first 2 Ant-Man films and the web film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Reference to Front Row Flynn: SLEEPING DOGS: Karen Gillan, Adam Cooper, moderated by Perri Nemiroff (2024). In short, Mike Flanagan has made a deep, multi-layered, yet beautiful film about the value of life. It’s really hard to explain, but Flanagan doesn’t waste a single moment. There’s a narrative throughout the film, but from “Act Three,” everything you see and experience happens beautifully in “Act One.” Ejiofor and Gillan are fantastic in Act Three, but if The Life of Chuck is to be nominated for anything, it has to be for the sound. From the cosmic elements in “Act Three” to the dance scenes in “Act Two and Act One,” Flanagan did a brilliant job integrating sound throughout the film. Of course, everyone was focused on Hiddleston and his character, but Tom even mentioned that it was really a team effort in the second act, and that Annalise Basso, Hiddleston’s dance partner in the second act, and Taylor Gordon (who is known as the Pocket Queen), all three of them, along with their choreographers Mandy Moore and Stephanie Powell, really make the dance scene sing. Taylor Gordon is a talent in her own right in her short but great role. I was amazed by how well the young Chuck did, and no one talks about how great the kids are. Their performances were just as brilliant as the adults, if not more so when young Chuck gets a really maddening monologue from his grandfather (the incredible Mark Hamill) about certain life choices. The first act really helps to piece together the puzzle that was the third act, where the cosmic elements may be insignificant, but there’s a purpose to it all. Stephen King is right when he says Chuck’s Life is one of the best. The spirit and energy are palpable from beginning to end, and with every performance on the deck, Flanagan will further cement himself as one of the greatest directors of our time. I will say one thing, Chuck’s Life is dedicated to the memory of Scott Wampler. And there are a few cameos in Chuck’s Life, but Scott’s inclusion just captured my heart. Great movie.