The Life of Chuck
| The Life of Chuck | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mike Flanagan |
| Screenplay by | Mike Flanagan |
| Based on | "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Eben Bolter |
| Edited by | Mike Flanagan |
| Music by | The Newton Brothers |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Neon |
Release dates |
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Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $7.8 million[2][3] |
The Life of Chuck is a 2025 American
The Life of Chuck had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024, where it won the People's Choice Award, and was released in select theaters in the United States by Neon on June 6, 2025, before expanding nationwide on June 13.
Plot
Act Three: Thanks, Chuck
Middle school teacher Marty Anderson notes several unusual things happening around the world, from natural disasters to the worldwide loss of the internet. Several billboards and advertisements popping up everywhere display the picture of an accountant named Charles "Chuck" Krantz, with the words "Charles Krantz: 39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck!" Marty's ex-wife Felicia Gordon calls him and they ponder if the end of the universe is upon them. Both of them begin seeing more disasters and supernatural occurrences. After losing telephone service and electricity, Marty goes to Felicia's home so they can stay with one another in the universe's final moments, watching as the stars quickly vanish.
The end of the universe is revealed to be connected to 39-year-old Chuck, who is bedridden in a hospital while dying from a brain tumor. He is accompanied by his wife Ginny and his son Brian. As Chuck passes away surrounded by his family, Ginny tells him, "39 great years. Thanks, Chuck." Meanwhile, Marty tells Felicia, "I love you," as the universe abruptly ends.
Act Two: Buskers Forever
Nine months before his death, Chuck is attending a banking conference. While walking outside, he stumbles upon a busking drummer named Taylor, who sees Chuck and begins drumming for him. He is moved to dance on the spot, attracting a crowd. Janice Halliday, a young woman who had been dumped by her boyfriend via text, joins Chuck and they dance together, although Chuck is momentarily hampered by a headache before continuing on to the crowd's joy.
Chuck and Janice help Taylor pack up and the three split the profits at Taylor's insistence. Chuck admits he is unsure why he decided to dance as soon as he heard Taylor's playing. Taylor suggests they form a traveling troupe, but Chuck and Janice decline and the three part ways with a hug. Chuck resumes his day, still pondering why he danced, but in the coming months as his health declines, feeling as though God made the world just for that moment.
Act One: I Contain Multitudes
As a young child, Chuck loses his father and pregnant mother in a car accident. He then lives with his paternal grandparents Albie and Sarah. The bright Sarah teaches Chuck how to enjoy dancing, while the sardonic Albie turns to alcohol after his son's death, and forbids Chuck to enter their house's cupola, hinting that he had seen the ghosts of people there before they died. At school, Chuck asks his idealistic teacher Ms. Richards the meaning of the phrase "I contain multitudes" from the Walt Whitman poem "Song of Myself." Richards explains to Chuck that he contains multitudes, with the memories he gains over the course his life forming a universe in his head.
Sarah dies after collapsing in a supermarket, worsening Albie's alcoholism. Inspired by his grandmother, Chuck joins his school's dance extracurricular program "Twirlers and Spinners", where he emerges as the best dancer of the club and teaches them how to moonwalk. He has a crush on Cat McCoy, an older and taller girl who is frequently partnered with Chuck. Despite having a boyfriend, Cat asks Chuck to share a dance at their school's Fall Fling. Chuck expresses his interest in pursuing dance to his grandfather, but Albie dismisses him and instead encourages him to be an accountant like him, sharing how math is seen in and necessary in everything. At the Fall Fling, Chuck is hesitant at first, but decides to let loose and dances with Cat in front of the large crowd, earning cheers from everyone including Marty and Felicia, with the former revealed to be a teacher at Chuck's school. After being kissed by Cat, Chuck dances by himself outside in the school field, but he injures his hand in the process which forms a scar.
Years later, Albie dies, leaving the teenaged Chuck to inherit everything including their house. His maternal grandparents from Omaha travel to stay with him until he goes off to college. Now in possession of the cupola's key, Chuck finally decides to enter the cupola and sees an apparition of himself in his deathbed as an adult, which he identifies through his scar. Despite this, Chuck dismisses his vision and promises to live life to the fullest, saying, "I am wonderful, I deserve to be wonderful, and I contain multitudes."
Cast
- Tom Hiddleston as Charles "Chuck" Krantz, an accountant who grows up loving dancing.
- Jacob Tremblay as 17-year-old Chuck
- Benjamin Pajak as 11-year-old Chuck
- Cody Flanagan as 7-year-old Chuck
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Marty Anderson, a high school teacher and Felicia's ex-husband
- Karen Gillan as Felicia Gordon, a nurse and Marty's ex-wife
- Mark Hamill as Albie Krantz, Chuck's "zayde" or paternal grandfather who is also an accountant
- Nick Offerman as the voice of the Narrator
- Mia Sara as Sarah Krantz, Chuck's "bubbe" or paternal grandmother who inspires Chuck's love for dance
- Annalise Basso as Janice Halliday, a young woman recovering from a breakup who briefly becomes Chuck's dance partner
- Taylor Gordon as Taylor, a street drummer and busker
- Carl Lumbly as Sam Yarbrough, an elderly mortician Marty encounters, later revealed to be the mortician at Albie's funeral
- Kate Siegel as Miss Richards, an idealistic teacher from Marty's school
- Samantha Sloyan as Miss Rohrbacher, the head teacher of "Twirlers and Spinners", the dance program of Chuck's school
- Trinity Bliss as Cat McCoy, a girl who Chuck has a crush on and is his frequent partner at their dance club
- Matthew Lillard as Gus Wilfong, Marty's neighbor
- Rahul Kohli as Bri, Felicia's colleague at the hospital they work in
- Heather Langenkamp as Vera, the neighbor of the Krantz family
- Violet McGraw as Iris, a young girl Marty encounters while traveling to Felicia's home
- David Dastmalchian as Josh, a single father grieving his wife leaving him
- Harvey Guillén as Hector, a parent of one of Marty's students
- Q'orianka Kilcher as Ginny Krantz, Chuck's wife and Brian's mother
- Antonio Raul Corbo as Brian Krantz, Chuck's teenage son
- Molly C. Quinn as Chuck's mother, who was pregnant when she died
- Michael Trucco as Dylan's dad
- Matt Biedel as Dr. Winston
- Hamish Linklater as US reporter (voice)
- Lauren LaVera as Italian reporter (voice)
- Carla Gugino as television voiceover
- Sauriyan Sapkota as Ram
- Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Andrea
- Scott Wampler as Radio Host #2
- Mike Flanagan as a mourner at Sarah's funeral
Production
In July 2020, Stephen King's novella "The Life of Chuck" was optioned by Darren Aronofsky's production company, Protozoa Pictures.[4] However, in May 2023, it was announced director Mike Flanagan would adapt the story, with Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill set to star and with Protozoa no longer involved. Flanagan had previously helmed adaptations of King's novels including Gerald's Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019).[5]
Filming
Filming began in Alabama in October 2023, during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement. Deadline Hollywood reported Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay had been added to the cast.[6] Flanagan announced the full cast on his social media a few days later.[7] Filming wrapped on November 16, 2023.[8]
In December 2023, it was revealed that Flanagan would also serve as editor, as he had done in his previous films.[9] In April 2024, the Newton Brothers, frequent collaborators of Flanagan, were announced to be serving as composers.[10]
Release
The Life of Chuck premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.[11][12][13] Later that month Neon acquired its North American distribution rights for a summer 2025 theatrical release.[14] The film was released in select theaters in the United States on June 6, 2025, before expanding nationwide on June 13.[15][16][17]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 200 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Showing a sweeter side of director Mike Flanagan's deeply-felt emotional register, The Life of Chuck is a buoyant and often wonderful adaptation of one of Stephen King's more cosmically optimistic tales."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]
Accolades
At the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, the film was the winner of the People's Choice Award.[20]
References
- ^ "The Life of Chuck (2025)". Irish Film Classification Office. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 10, 2020). "Stephen King Novella 'If It Bleeds' Draws Movie Deals From Netflix & John Lee Hancock/Jason Blum/Ryan Murphy, Two Others From Ben Stiller And Darren Aronofsky". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 8, 2023). "Tom Hiddleston & Mark Hamill to Star in Stephen King Adaptation The Life of Chuck for Director Mike Flanagan; FilmNation Launches Hot Project for Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (October 23, 2023). "The Life of Chuck: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan & Jacob Tremblay Join Stephen King Adaptation from Mike Flanagan". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ Wampler, Scott (October 25, 2023). "Matthew Lillard (And a Million Other People) Just Joined the Cast of The Life of Chuck". Fangoria. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ComingSoon.net. Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Cotter, Padraig (December 2, 2023). "New Stephen King Movie Returns Mike Flanagan To 1 Important Role Missing From His Last 6 Horror Films". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ filmmusicreporter. "The Newton Brothers Scoring Mike Flanagan's 'The Life of Chuck'". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- Screen Daily. Archivedfrom the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 3, 2024). "The Life of Chuck: The Feel-Good Stephen King Apocalypse Movie". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 26, 2024). "'The Life of Chuck' Sells to Neon After Winning TIFF's Audience Award (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Rudoy, Matthew (December 2, 2024). "Mike Flanagan's Newest Stephen King Movie Life Of Chuck Sets 2025 Release Date". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Eriksen, Kaare (January 8, 2025). "3 Theatrical Film Slates to Watch in the Year Ahead". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (April 15, 2025). "'The Life of Chuck' Trailer – Mike Flanagan Crafts a Life-Affirming Stephen King Adaptation". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 15, 2024). "Tom Hiddleston's 'The Life of Chuck' Wins Toronto Film Festival's People's Choice Award". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
External links
- The Life of Chuck at IMDb
