Movie Breakdown: The Life Of Chuck

Pre-Screening Stance:

If there’s anything for sure that we can say at this point, it’s that writer/director Mike Flanagan is pretty dang good at adapting Stephen King for the screen (big and small). And sure, The Life Of Chuck looks far more saccharine than, well, everything else that Flanagan has done in his career, but I think he can pull it off.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I was pretty convinced that The Life Of Chuck was going to be a real tearjerker, one of those happy but crushing experiences that follows you from the theater all the way home and then has you steadily wondering if you’ve been living your life the right way. Instead, it’s really more of what I would describe as a nice film. There’s nothing about it that’s particularly great or terrible, nor are there any big swings that will leave you with a true flutter of emotions, but it does deliver charming performances, a good bit of laughs, some great dance scenes, and a thought-provoking question. This last bit, by the way, I can’t dive into at all because it would totally spoil the whole movie. So, I’ll just note that if you’re looking for a comparison of sorts as to what kind of film you can expect – I thought it reminded me of Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty but, you know, with a dash of Stephen King sprinkled on top.

You could do a lot worse than to take in a grounded, generally pleasant film like The Life Of Chuck, especially as we’re in the midst of blockbuster season. The film opens in theaters this Friday, June 6.

One Last Thought:

It was a really nice surprise when it finally dawned on me that one of the characters was being played by Mia Sara (Sloane from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). Here’s hoping she lines up some more projects because she very clearly still has “it.”