Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Mark Hamill, Nick Offerman
After watching this movie at a 9:00am screening, I swiftly left the theatre to sit down in Grange Park to process the gut punch that was The Life of Chuck. People-watching while sitting on a park bench on a beautiful sunny morning seemed like the appropriate place to ruminate on the film’s main message, “I contain multitudes.” The Life of Chuck is Mike Flanagan’s latest Stephen King adaptation, having previously directed Gerald's Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019). While I find Stephen King’s horror novel adaptations to be hit or miss, I think that his drama stories shine brightest (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, Stand By Me). Based on the 2020 novella of the same name, The Life of Chuck will be the next Stephen King drama that will have people talking about its cultural impact for many years to come.
The story is split into 3 acts given in reverse chronological order with each act having its own distinct genre and separate cast. The film begins with Act 3: Thanks, Chuck. In this act we are joined by school teacher Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex-wife Felicia (Karen Gillan). In the not so distant future, Earth is falling apart, climate change has ravaged the world, internet blackouts are common, and Pornhub is down. But despite the world’s inevitable demise, Marty still has to do parent teacher interviews. In the conversations he has with the parents we are offered glimpses into what could soon be a reality for us: confusion, depression, lack of connection, and pondering how it all went wrong. Scattered throughout his commute Marty notices ominous billboards and radio messages congratulating Chuck on “39 great years!” Who is this Chuck character? Is he some sort of an accountant? Is he retiring? And why the hell has someone bought up every ad space possible honouring this man? With all the despair in this small town happening all around him, Marty decides to seek comfort by reaching out to his ex-wife Felicia. Together they sit back and watch as the Earth and the Universe itself terrifyingly crumbles before their eyes, in what is one of the most disturbing and dark sci-fi horror sequences I’ve seen on the big screen.
Now that the existential crisis is out of the way, time for Act 2: Buskers. Nick Offerman lends his beautiful voice to narrate Chuck Krantz’s life. Now going into this movie, the one thing everyone talked about was a grand dance sequence that would rival that of 500 Days of Summer’s. Here we see a charming, well dressed Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) in town for an accounting related conference when he stumbles upon a drummer busking in the town square. Any other day he would’ve kept walking, but today, he feels like dancing. What follows is about a 10 minute sequence of swing, salsa, jazz, and moon walking that leaves you captivated in your seat. I honestly wish it lasted longer. It is also a very Hollywood sequence: he dances with a beautiful woman he has never met before (who we learn is going through a break up and needs some fun in her life), a large crowd forms to cheer him on, the busker makes enough money to pay for a month’s rent (probably not in Toronto but maybe in a place like Winnipeg), and everyone lives happily ever after. It is safe to say that the dance sequence lived up to the hype. This act has a very carpe diem message of being free, doing something extraordinary in a public space, and to not be afraid to be your own main character even if you have a mundane profession like accounting. The act however ends on a grim note as Chuck deals with a headache, hinting at an illness that leads to his demise and is briefly shown in Act 3.
And now to Act 1: I Contain Multitudes. This is the coming-of-age story that Stephen King is always able to brilliantly tell. This is where we get the backstory behind Chuck’s life: how he became an accountant, how he is such a diverse and exceptional dancer, and why his character is important. There is mystery and a sprinkle of the supernatural that King is famously known for. We learn that Chuck was orphaned and raised by his paternal grandparents, Sarah (Mia Sara) and Albie Krantz (Mark Hamill). Sarah teaches Chuck the art of dancing and gets him interested in joining the dance club at school, while Albie teaches him the beauty of mathematics and the responsibility that accountants have in people’s lives. Albie also strictly enforces that Chuck not see what is inside the upstairs Cupola, a room which harbours a dark secret. In this act we see Chuck find his courage, overcome great loss, make use of the lessons instilled in him, and find purpose within himself.
Chuck isn't spectacular or some otherworldly hero, but he's also not just an accountant. Each and everyone of us has importance and complexity. Inside us all is our own little universe, and we all contain multitudes. When the world appears to be heading in a dark direction, we find the light in the people we love. When you graduate school and are flung into the world of jobs, money, and responsibility, we make sure to unleash our inner kid and find joy in dancing like nobody's watching (even when everyone clearly is). And when called upon to pursue the greater good, we carry the lessons taught to us by our relatives to make the lives of others better. Flanagan brilliantly shows how life is too short to dwell on public perception, existential threats, past relationships, or become consumed by work. And while thematically different, a dystopian, a musical, and a coming of age story are all able to form a connection in their message. We may end up finding solace and our place in the world in the most unexpected of places or circumstances. It could be a sweaty dance floor, a town square, the end of the world, or even Dufferin station on an ordinary Thursday evening.
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