July 31, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Film Review: The Life of Chuck

FILM REVIEW
THE LIFE OF CHUCK
Rated R
110 Minutes
Released June 6th

A  heartfelt movie of lie, love, friendship and loss, delivered in the style of those 1940’s classic films that move us all to tears, like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, The Life of Chuck is designed backwards on a timeline, and it catches you off guard, before you realize you are watching a feelgood story with a message of life affirmation. It’s beautifully written and visualized by writer/director/editor Mike Flanagan, based on a 2020 short story by Stephen King, also a producer on the project. Written stories don’t often translate well to film. This one does, resoundingly. The movie reminds us that things we pay no attention to because they are ordinary are part of what makes life magical.

Flanagan was born in Salem, Massachusetts, home of the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s. Although he lived there only a short time, the town left an impression on his work. He has been making films since he was a kid with a wild imagination and a VHS camera, most of his films being in the horror genre. He began his career editing sketch comedy shows, reality TV shows, and commercials, and secured his own funding for his first feature, Absentia (2011). He was the creator and showrunner for TV shows such as The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Tom Hiddleston, who stars as “Chuck” in this movie, says of Flanagan, “He innately understands that when you’re directing a film, you’re conducting an orchestra of people all bringing their own immense skill and imagination to the table.”

While most moviegoers know Hiddleston as “Loki” from the Thor and Avengers movies, he is an accomplished Shakespearean actor trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and has appeared extensively on stage. His resume includes the BBC series, The Hollow Crown, Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse, and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. He plays piano and guitar. He has never been a dancer, but in The Life of Chuck, he dances beautifully in perhaps the most memorable scene of the film. Of his role, he says, “None of us are one thing, we contain multitudes, and somebody who looks like an accountant on the street may in fact be an extraordinary dancer.” He trained daily for weeks for the dance sequence and feels that the scene “was expressing something profoundly wise about being alive.” 

Hiddleston and Annelise Basso, also not a professional dancer, practiced day after day to perfect this sequence choreographed by the legendary Mandy Moore (La La Land, Taylor Swift Eras Tour, Babylon, and more). Then they spent a week with the extraordinary street drummer/recording artist, Taylor Gordon, also known as The Pocket Queen, who in the scene sets up her drums in front of a store and inspires Hiddleston’s and Basso’s characters to dance. 

Moore says, “I really loved that dance played a role in the most casual sense. It wasn’t some big performance or a big musical number or a dream sequence.”  The dance is a focal point in this cinematic life journey, as it should be. Dance can reaffirm life when all seems lost. One day, when my life appeared to be heading over a proverbial cliff, I walked by a building with Scott Joplin piano music wafting out of the second-floor windows, accompanied by the lively percussion of a group of tap dancers. I walked up the stairs to see what was going on, and that action changed my life trajectory.

The supporting cast are all master performers: Jacob Tremblay, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Carl Lumbly, David Dastmalchian, and more. Flanagan persuaded Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) out of retirement to do the film. Mark Hamill has a pivotal role as “Albie.” All these characters are normal people, but they are shining with the gift of life. Ejiofor says of the film, “There’s a very unique quality to this, in the tone, in what it’s speaking to philosophically – how emotional it is, how wise it is…” Hamil says, “How do you describe the indescribable. All I can say is go see it. Trust me.”

The Life of Chuck has become a cultural phenomenon at a time when we need one. Don’t take the story literally – open your mind and let it flow in. You may find some sequences seem familiar. The opening of the film reminds me of a vivid dream I had as a child. Each life is a story unto itself, an all-important moment in this vast universe. Your life is the world you create. Make it beautiful. Dance, with your body, your eyes, your ears, or just with your mind. Chuck has so much tragedy in his life, and he continues to dance. We should learn to find the joy in every moment and treasure the people around us. 

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be mad by those who could not hear the music.” 

– Friedrich Nietzsche

Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people.  She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com

<>Related Posts

Santa Monica, DTSM Issue Dueling Statements Over Surprise Board Member Replacement

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

Santa Monica Defends Emergency Action as DTSM Questions Fairness and Legal Grounds After the surprise removal of six of the...

Texas Kitchen Chain to Open Santa Monica Location at Former Fresh Corn Grill Site

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

The Santa Monica outpost will occupy a 3,050-square-foot space featuring a newly built kitchen and a large outdoor patio HomeState,...

Film Review: Together

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

By Dolores Quintana Dave Franco and Alison Brie, a married couple in real life, star in Michael Shanks’ gruesomely passionate...

Family Members Sue City of Santa Monica, Driver After Woman Killed by Car on Beach

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

Lawsuit Alleges City Failed to Prevent Vehicle Access Despite Prior Incidents The family of Sherese Allen, a woman fatally struck...

New Beginnings in Brentwood: Dr. Marian Oppenheimer Opens Private Psychology Practice at wellpeople

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

For more than 30 years, Dr. Marian Oppenheimer has dedicated herself to one clear purpose: helping people heal, grow, and...

Wildfire Price Gouging Protections Extended for Displaced Residents

July 30, 2025

July 30, 2025

These provisions limit rent increases and hotel rate hikes during a declared emergency and prohibit landlords from evicting tenants The...

Tsunami Advisory Issued for Los Angeles Coast After 8.7 Quake Near Russia

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

Strong Currents, Surges Expected; Residents Urged to Avoid Beaches and Harbors Update from NWS Los Angeles at 6:50 a.m. “Latest...

City Council Removes DTSM Board Members Amid Transparency and Governance Concerns

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

The council’s decision follows tensions between DTSM and the city, including disputes over parking rate increases and maintenance agreements The...

SMPD to Increase Enforcement Against Illegal Off-Highway Vehicles

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

Officials stated that the increased enforcement comes in response to growing safety concerns and complaints from the community The Santa...

Mysterious Dog Deaths Plague Venice Canal Community

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

Over the past 10 days, five healthy neighborhood dogs have died unexpectedly, with one currently in the ICU The Venice...

Lane Closures Continue on Pacific Coast Highway for Recovery, Utility Work

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

Caltrans is urging drivers to slow down and use caution in the active work zones Single-lane closures will remain in...

Seven Santa Monica PAL Youth Receive $33.5K in Scholarships at Annual Celebration

July 28, 2025

July 28, 2025

Six graduating high school seniors and one junior were recognized during the outdoor ceremony, now in its 23rd year Seven...

Santa Monica Distributes Free Anti-Hate Posters and Signs to Promote Solidarity

July 28, 2025

July 28, 2025

The effort is part of the city’s broader equity and inclusion strategy In response to a rise in hate crimes...

Homecare Company Celebrates 14 years of Compassion While Planting New Roots After January Fire

July 28, 2025

July 28, 2025

Luxe Homecare, a leading provider of compassionate and reliable in-home care services for seniors has recently announced the opening of...

Wallis Annenberg, Visionary Philanthropist and Civic Leader, Dies at 86

July 28, 2025

July 28, 2025

Philanthropist Expanded Foundation’s Reach From Arts to Conservation Wallis Annenberg, a prominent philanthropist and longtime leader of the Annenberg Foundation,...