The Life of Chuck

Wow! Pure magic!

Have you ever watched a film and felt like it was made just for you - line after line, scene after scene, that seemed to be either meant for you to hear and see or actually taken right out of your life story? That’s what happened to me when I watched The Life of Chuck. And the thing is, despite the feeling that this film was made for me, I also believe many other viewers will feel exactly the same way.

Until a week ago, I had never heard of The Life of Chuck. I own Stephen King’s book If it Bleeds, which contains the short (65 pages) story upon which the film is based, but hadn’t yet read it. I first encountered The Life of Chuck when I checked the new releases for June 13. I then looked up the film on Wikipedia and read the first two lines (I never read film descriptions or reviews, or watch trailers, before watching a film), just enough to learn that the film was based on King’s short story. Every few years or so, I get this ‘punch-in-the-gut’ sense about a film I know nothing about (not even critics’ ratings), a sense that not only is this a film I need to watch but that this is a film I need to watch on opening day. That sense (which feels distinctly supernatural) has never let me down and has always resulted in me watching one of my favourite films of the year.

For good or ill (I think for good), within 24 hours I had read King’s marvellous story, which already had me hooked, and within 48 hours I had watched the film, which managed to blow me away even after having just read the story. Remarkable achievement!

I will not breathe (or write) a word about what The Life of Chuck is about. Instead, I will urge you not to watch the trailer or read anything about this film, but just to trust me and go watch it. Do let me know if you’re disappointed, but I suspect that will not be the case. The Life of Chuck is why I love film (and why I spontaneously drive 85 minutes to go to the theatre). 

While I won’t tell you what the film is about, I will say that I think the acting, writing, directing, cinematography and score are all terrific (if not always perfect). The director is Mike Flanagan, who has made other Stephen King films and was the writer/director of Midnight Mass, a seven-part horror miniseries on Netflix. I generally stay away from the horror genre, but Midnight Mass was amazing, with one brilliant scene after another. I would not call The Life of Chuck a horror film (despite King’s and Flanagan’s involvement). Nor do I agree with the genres listed in IMDb and Wikipedia. The film is all genres and none.

Are you intrigued yet? Go watch it and then talk about it with your friends, because I think everyone will see this film differently. Indeed, its ambiguity is one of its key features. **** My mug is up for what will certainly be in my top ten films of 2025.