A film that I love that came out in 1998 is The Truman Show. It depicts the life of Truman Burbank from the time of infancy to the time he decided he wanted more than just a life on camera every moment. He wanted to discover the real world. To some extent, the Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan from a short story by Stephen King, is a more realistic version of this story. Without the seclusion in an enclosed area for his entire life. This man Chuck gets to grow up and learn about life in a real-world setting instead of in a bubble like Truman did. It’s an interesting story that hits close to home for me.

This film has a three act struggle that literally plays out exactly that way except that the acts are depicted as non-linear. The film starts out with Act Three: Thanks, Chuck, goes into Act Two: Buskers Forever and ends with Act One: I Contain  Multitudes. Showing these three acts backward gives the audience a more realistic idea of what is going on and why this man’s life is so important to those he loves and cares about. He is a very interesting man, but it’s not about him. Why did the story resonate with me the most? It’s about the idea of us as a whole. How we make our own way in society and how we make a difference in people’s lives. Also, how the world affects us.

This film puts every human on earth in the shoes of Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Trembley, Benjamin Pajjak , Cody Flanagan). It lets us examine our own lives through the life of Chuck. And then how the town in the third act sees him and his legacy. Why was he so important to certain people? It’s how all our lives are to those who know or intersect with us on a daily basis as well. Some people may not be aware of how they’ve impacted the lives of others, but the third act shows a little of how that could be perceived. I, for one, don’t see myself as making a big impact on the world, but it’s not up to me to decide that, is it? That’s the most fascinating part about this movie.

Each of the three acts of the story plays out very differently, two focus on Chuck and his life,  but the third act is more about the world and how it’s going to hell. Viewers mainly see the story through the eyes of a teacher, Marty (Chiwetel Edjifor) and his ex-wife, but still friend Felicia (Karrn Gillan). They see the world going to hell in a handbasket, as the saying says. Something that I couldn’t help but reflect on quite a lot. This literally could happen in the world if we don’t do something about it right now. That is why the story is so prophetic in a way.  The third act gave me chills. I loved both Ejiofor and Gillan in this segment of the story. They basically acted the way I probably would have acted in their place. Without spoilers. I won’t give away what they end up doing.

The first act is more about Chuck growing up and learning about the world and the things he ends up loving to do. He has some grandparents who help him in these endeavors.  His grandmother (Mia Sara) and his grandfather (Mark Hamill) who is unrecognizable in the role, show this boy at the time in the mid 80s about life and what can hold for a young man. One is loving in a caring or spiritual way. The other is more straightforward and direct. They both make an impact on this man’s life in different ways. It’s nice to see Mark Hamill get a role he can sink his teeth into like this one. He was amazing in this film.

The performers who all play Chuck are good, but one of them particularly stands out to me. Benjamin Pajak, as the middle school age Chuck, was very good from my perspective.  He reminded me a lot of myself where I was trying to find myself. Yes, I have a twin brother who I hung out with a lot, so that’s a bit different, but finding who I am was a big part of what I was about at that age. Similar to Chuck. He found dancing as his niche, and it helped him develop friendships with girls and help him come out of his shell. Pajak is an actor who is a breakout for me in this movie. His interactions with his dance teacher and his grandfather reminded me of how I gravitated towards my teachers. They were great influences on him, and my teachers were on me.

The second act of the film was a bit odd without seeing the first act, but it was the most impactful on me once I saw the entire movie. It just shows that if you love something, just do it. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do the thing you love in your life. Dancing was Chuck’s thing, and writing was my thing. I love writing about movies, and I’ve been discouraged by many telling me to quit writing. I love movies and love writing about them. The same goes for Chuck. People told him dancing wasn’t going to help him in his life,  but he didn’t care he still danced when he felt the urge to.

Mike Flanagan is a director who has become known for his series on Netflix dealing with the horror genre. He is so good at making those types of series such as Midnight Mass or The Fall of the House of Usher. He did adapt another Stephen King story in Doctor Sleep, though, which was a sequel to The Shining.  He is doing something entirely different here, though. He obviously has something he wanted to say by choosing to make this story into a film. It had to resonate with him like I’m sure it’ll do for many others that see it eventually. He has made a terrific film that needs to be watched on the big screen.

The Life of Chuck is a very prophetic movie for me. It hit me very hard because of the world we all live in. Finding your niche is very important in  the world we live in today. The acting by the entire cast is very good, but the two that stood out to me the most were Mark Hamill and Benjamin Pajak. They both gave fantastic performances in act one. Stephen King is a great writer, and his stories adapt very well to the big and small screen. This one is no different.  Flanagan takes this short story and infuses a lot of heart and life into this story. He definitely gives the world a lot to think about. It makes sense that it won the Toronto film festival last year. It’s something we all should ponder quite a lot. About how it’s so much of a microcosm of society.  I thought this was a fantastic film. It’s one of the best of the year so far.

4 ½

Dan Skip Allen