REEL | Tom Hiddleston Reflects on 'The Life of Chuck'

"Our man Krantz is the Oz of the apocalypse."

Neon / Elevation Pictures

One might be surprised to learn that Stephen King firmly believes in the transformative power of dance and math to save us from the apocalypse! A frequent adapter of the prolific author's literary works, Mike Flanagan trades in the horror genre for a sweetly life-affirming reflection on existence in his slightly fantastical film adaptation of the short story of the same name, The Life of Chuck, starring noted dance enthusiast Tom Hiddleston as the otherwise oridinary eponymous accountant, Charles Krantz. Split into three acts told in reverse chronological order, Flanagan expresses a life's worth of joy in 110 minutes.

In the third act presented first, we follow a divorced couple, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan, as they slowly accept the end of the universe in their suburban everytown as both comfort each other, exasperated by Chuck's mysterious congratulatory ads appearing all over their neighbourhood celebrating "39 great years!" Then we flash to the middle second act, anchored by Hiddleston's insatiable desire to dance in a public square nine months before the end of his seemingly timeless life story.

For the final first act, a young Chuck (Benjamin Pajak) grows up amidst tragedy after he's raised by his well-meaning but flawed paternal grandparents, a grizzled, math-loving Mark Hamill and a remarkably tender Mia Sara (Sloane from Ferris Bueller's Day Off). Some mysteries are elaborated on, but mostly, we learn about how Chuck succeeded through optimism, following his passions, and honouring his family history.

Much of The Life of Chuck is an earnestly sweet and crowd-pleasing experience, from its physical celebration of the act of dance to its extended monologue about the wonders or contributions of mathematical calculations. Flanagan sticks closely to King's text by physically embodying his sappy but sweet themes into the characters and the magically surreal narrative. It's delightful and difficult not to enjoy, but also feels limited by its nakedly uplifting humanist scope.

The Life of Chuck screened early at the Rio Theatre with Flanagan in attendance for a special post-screening Q&A discussing the film's scrappy, independent production during both the writers' and actors' strikes. It previously premiered (its only public screening until now) at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations program, where it won the People's Choice Award.


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