While writer Stephen King is primarily known for horror, sometimes he delivers poignant human stories that can connect with all audiences on a very deep level – see THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE for examples, but those are just two of the most well-known efforts. And director Mike Flanagan is also known for his horror work like THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, MIDNIGHT MASS and OCULUS… just a few of his notable works. Flanagan is also no stranger to working with King, after handling GERALD’S GAME and DOCTOR SLEEP, but again, also both horror films. Their newest collaboration is THE LIFE OF CHUCK, based on the novella by King, and definitely not a horror movie, but also potentially one of the best films of the year.

The film is broken up into three acts or chapters, with the story told in reverse in terms of one man’s life, Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), and involves his final days and “retiring”, a distinctive moment in his adult life where he did something daring and unexpected, and his youth in which he’s struggling to find his place after the death of his parents. The first act (or rather third) centers around a school teacher named Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a nurse named Felicia (Karen Gillan), a couple now separated but both dealing with what appears to be the end of the world, with giant sections of their state disappearing in what feels like a sort of natural disaster, but also seems like the end of all life. Their respective fear of these events brings them back together one last time. The second act (or middle act) involves adult Chuck stopping in the street on his way to a business convention, and breaking into an elaborate dance routine with a stranger as a street busker plays the drums. It’s a magical spontaneous moment that reminds us how it’s sometimes important to break up the monotony of life and embrace the simple things. The final act centers around young Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), living with his grandparents Albie (Mark Hamill) and Sarah (Mia Sara) after the death of his parents, and trying to fit in at school. Chuck ends up taking on a dance class, and finds happiness and passion in honing his seemingly natural dance abilities. It even helps him meet a girl at school, but Albie wants him to study math and follow in his accounting footsteps. Adding to the mystery of the story, Chuck is told rather sternly by Albie that he is never to open the attic room of the house, that it is haunted and he should never explore it.

THE LIFE OF CHUCK is a movie about death, life, and learning how to live. It’s told in a rather unconventional way, but by the end it all makes sense and is the sort of movie everyone can relate to. The opening act will be the most confusing for many, and perhaps frustrating for some as it doesn’t really make sense until you see the rest of the film. I found myself retroactively understanding it better when I pieced together everything that followed, even though the later acts take place prior to the events in the first section of the film. But the journey is worth it. Everyone here is delivering incredible and sincere performances, and really making the most of the material. This is a story that is sad, scary at times, funny, exciting, heartwarming, haunting, and emotionally fulfilling… it delivers all the emotions you can handle, but never in an overwhelming way. It connects with how we deal with loss, personal victories, and our own mortality, and it’s the kind of movie that stays with you and you’ll by eager to discuss with others who have seen it.

Tom Hiddleston has the most fun here in the center section of the film, showing off incredible dance moves in a sequence that reminds us what it feels like to seize the moment and live your best life when time allows. I love seeing him take the spotlight in the marketing, though this is a production where everyone gets their moment to shine. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan are really good in the somewhat bleak opening act, which also cleverly reminds us of the importance of others in our lives and how we handle fear. Their sequence also features the great Carl Lumbly (CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD), who has a short but memorable exchange with Ejiofor that helps break some of the tension as events unfold. Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan and Jacob Tremblay play Chuck at various stages of youth in the final act, but it’s Pajak who really shines and gets the most screen time in that section, and you could absolutely call it a star-making performance. I really enjoyed seeing Mark Hamill and Mia Sara as Chuck’s grandparents, both making a big influence on him as a boy – her with encouraging his love of dancing, and him being protective and supportive in his own way. Hamill is quite endearing as the grizzled Albie, who is also secretly dealing with his own issues, and facing personal challenges while trying his best to raise Chuck after his parents are lost. There are some fun familiar faces that pop up in the opening act, like David Dastmalchian, Matthew Lillard, and Harvey Guillen, but they never feel like stunt casting or unnecessary cameos, they’re just welcome additions here, especially Lillard as Ejiofor’s working class neighbor.  I also loved the use of Nick Offerman as the sort of off-beat narrator for the film.

It’s difficult to talk about THE LIFE OF CHUCK without spoiling some of the better aspects of it, as it’s best going into it not knowing where it’s headed. This movie is, like a good book, the sort of thing that resonates best when you reach the end and say to yourself “Oh, now I get it” – I just hope that ambiguity and slow burn doesn’t seem off-putting to today’s modern moviegoers. I can honestly say this is one of the best movies 2025 has offered so far, it really choked me up while making me smile, and I connected with it in a big way. Flanagan knows how to structure his work in ways to keep the audience fascinated, even when there doesn’t seem to be much happening in a singular moment. But the overall result is exceptional filmmaking, and delivers something truly special. I haven’t felt this way about a movie in a long time, this is something I genuinely want people to experience and take in. THE LIFE OF CHUCK generated quite a bit of buzz on the film festival circuit, and it’s easy to see why. There are no explosions here, no jump scares (well, maybe one or two small ones), and no car chases… just a really, REALLY good movie that you’ll be thinking about long after it’s over.

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