PREMISE
A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.
THE GOOD STUFF
THE 1ST CHAPTER- The LIFE of Chuck is a story told in three chapters. The last two chapters are pretty similar in tone, albeit with a different message. The first chapter of this movie, however, is the real standout section by a mile. Not only does this have one of the best performances in the entire film from Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it is quite possibly one of the more harrowing things I’ve seen on a screen in quite some time. The majority of the emotional impact of this story is in this section of the film. It’s a perfect blend of vintage Stephen King-level storytelling dread and the flashy direction of someone like Flanagan to execute it properly on screen.
Mark Hamill– Is Mark Hamill quite possibly one of the more underrated actors of all time? We know him for playing very famous characters and all that. When I look at a performance like what he does here, I can’t help but ask why he hasn’t done more stuff like this throughout his career. The 3rd chapter of this film is by far the weakest section, and he props it up almost entirely on his own.
THE BAD STUFF
The 3rd chapter– Speaking of which, for all of the interesting ideas that were presented through the first two acts of this film, boy does this slow to a crawl and it barely lands the plane towards the end of the third act. Sometime in the second act of this film, dancing is introduced as a significant plot point in understanding the character of Chuck. In fact, it explains a lot.
However, to say that this is overutilized by the end of the film is quite the understatement. This section of the film didn’t come close to being as engaging as the previous two chapters, and the ending is just such a soft landing. It ties the film together competently, but not with any kind of crescendo.
THE UGLY STUFF
Tonal extremes– The first chapter of this story is beautifully done and wonderfully performed. It is also one of the more hauntingly melancholy stretches of film that I’ve seen in a movie theater in quite some time. Chapter 2, in contrast, is something like a whimsical prologue to an adaptation of a Broadway musical directed by Neil Marshall. To say that it is an upbeat presentation both thematically and aesthetically is quite the understatement.
The extreme tonal change is beyond jarring, and you can’t un-experience it. Though the story does tie together by the end of the film, the biggest question that you may end up with by the end is why they chose to start the film off the way that they did.
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Ultimately, the life of Chuck is quite possibly one of the deepest movies I’ve ever seen. It is a well-done allegory on the meaning of life and death. However beautiful the allegory itself is, you have to catch on to the symbology that’s really telling this story. Worth giving a try.
THE LIFE OF CHUCK is in theaters now.
