“Life of Chuck” is the feel-good movie of the year

Mike Flannigan, the man behind shows like "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Mass," has become the guy for Stephen King adaptations. He is currently working on a "Carrie" TV series and has been entrusted with an adaptation of "The Dark Tower" series. The latest, "The Life of Chuck," is based on a short story by King and is not the traditional King fare.

I have no idea how to summarize this movie. It is mostly about a character named Chuck (Tom Hiddleston). To reveal anything else would take away from the movie.

The term "life-affirming" has been tossed around in relation to this movie, and I agree. The moments we see in Chuck's life are the important ones that define him as a person. With everything going on in this movie, and there is a lot, it's hard not to leave it feeling uplifted.

There are many spectacular performances in "The Life of Chuck," and I could spend a thousand words mentioning each of them, but the one I was most impressed with was Mark Hamill, who plays Chuck's grandfather, Albie. After Chuck's parents die, he lives with his paternal grandparents. Albie turns to alcohol after his son's death and is a man who doesn't reveal much about himself. I have always liked Hamill; his voice work, in particular, is incredible. There is one scene I keep thinking about that happens late in the movie. Albie is talking to Chuck about the beauty of math. In this scene, we see Albie go from a man beaten down by tragedy to someone excited by something for the first time in the movie.

The following paragraph contains potential spoilers, so now is a good time to leave. I have said all I want to about "The Life of Chuck," and the last paragraph is just my closing. Go see this one. A movie like this deserves to be a box office success.

"The Life of Chuck" is a special movie I will be thinking about for years to come. The movie is about a life and all that encompasses it. For me, the key to understanding the movie comes when young Chuck talks to his teacher about Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself." They discuss the line "I contain multitudes" and what that means. As I thought about the movie, I came back to that scene. You should too.

9/10

Rated R for language

1h 51min