The Life of Chuck

It seems there’s somewhat of a nineties trend in the movies at the moment and the strongest proponent of that might just be The Life of Chuck.

A relatively schmaltzy, magical-realist drama with a hint of Forrest Gump, based on a Stephen King non-horror story like Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile (amongst others) before it.

Told backwards in three distinct chapters, is (kind of) the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz.

I say ‘kind of’ because we don’t actually meet Tom Hiddleston’s Chuck until the second part, he’s a child in the climactic section and a face on a billboard in the first.

Odd as that may sound, if you buy into the conceit and understand by movie’s end just what the Black Mirror-like apocalypse in the first part of the film actually stands for, it’s a lovely little film about the meaning of life and those we meet along the way.

It can be a little corny and is striving for that meme-worthy moment but, for the vast duration, this is watchable, well written and well acted stuff by a remarkably stacked cast.

Certain lines will strike a chord and it’s a wholly original way to tell such a tale.

However, it can be a little alienating on first viewing. The way the film is set up, you’re waiting for a ‘reveal’ that never comes and the actual ending rings a little hollow in the moment.

There’s a great movie in here scrapping to get out that’s just let down by tying itself up in a narrative that doesn’t need to be convoluted.

As the film itself is (possibly) trying to say, one person's life may well be impacted by seeing this, others may walk on past.

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