Going into 2025, there were a lot of films on my radar to look forward to. One film that seemed like an outlier compared to the others was The Life of Chuck. From seeing the poster and the trailer, there was very little that I knew about what this movie was going to be. After viewing the film, I can’t remember what it was that hooked me, but I am glad that I got hooked, as this movie is truly phenomenal! Why is it phenomenal? Let’s dive in.

For those who don’t know, The Life of Chuck is a movie about Chuck, an ordinary man played by Tom Hiddleston, who is being thanked for “39 Great Years” when we are introduced to him. Following initially in the footsteps of Marty Anderson, the audience is taken on a journey through the life of Chuck. Based on a short story by Stephen King, what starts off as a mystery slowly blossoms into a movie about reflecting on one’s life and reminding people to live in each moment they are given.

It is difficult to talk about the plot of the movie, as I believe it is most powerful if you go into this movie with very little plot information. The most that I can safely say is that the title explains the general plot as we are shown the Life of Chuck throughout the film, specifically on important highlights of his life that transformed him into the man he became.

What instantly gets me is the amount of stars that we have throughout this entire film in primary and supporting roles. We have Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Mark Hammil, Matthew Lilard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rahul Kohli, Nick Offerman, Carla Gugino, David Dastmalchian, Carl Lumbly, and that is just scratching the surface of incredible talent. While everyone did a wonderful job in their roles, there are a few that I want to highlight. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Marty Anderson who is a struggling teacher trying to navigate his class while also trying to reconnect with his ex-wife Felicia Gordon, who is played by Karen Gillan. These two characters each have a separate journey that brings the world into the needed lens for the whole story that The Life of Chuck is trying to tell us.

Another significant name that I mentioned already is that of Matthew Lilard, who plays Gus, a local repairman who is down on his luck. While he doesn’t have a whole lot of time on the screen, he steals the show for the brief time that we have him. The same thing should be said about Rahul Kohli as he does a wonderful job as Bri in the brief time that we have him. A trio dynamic that forms at one point in the story is that of Mark Hammil, Mia Sara, and Benjamin Pajak. These three showcase the good and bad times of Chuck’s childhood, as Benjamin Pajak plays a young Chuck and Mark Hammil and Mia Sara play his grandparents. Of course, we have to talk about Tom Hiddleston who has a presence within the film that slowly grows. He does a great job of making us fall in love with the character of Chuck so easily, despite having a limited runway to get the audience to care about him. 

I love the set design in The Life of Chuck. There are so many wonderful places that we get to explore throughout the story. While these sets are very simple in many ways, they help to tie the story together through the years. From the school to Chuck’s grandparents house to the hotel corner, everything has a life of its own that sucks the audience into the worlds of Chuck. With most Stephen King books, there is a sense of the extraordinary. That comes in the beginning and at the very end of the story through set pieces. For those who may not like such aspects, just know that it is very minimal and doesn’t get in the way of having an enjoyable viewing of this film.

Overall, The Life of Chuck may be the film of the year for me. There have been other films that have entertained me more, but there isn’t another film that I can think of from this year that has touched me in such a way. There are bound to be people who don’t connect to this film as fondly as others. However, I do believe that this is a film that everyone should see at least once. This is a film that reminds us to live and to make the most of every single moment, as no one knows when the clock will stop ticking. If you are looking for any other amazing stories to see on the big screen, check out my review of Thunderbolts right here.

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The Life of Chuck

0.00

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Profound Story
• Wonderful Cinematography
• Dynamic Cast
• Brilliant Set & Sound Design
• Reminds Us What Life Should Be About