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‘The Life of Chuck’ Review: Mike Flanagan’s Latest Stephen King Adaptation Fumbles Its Wistful Mysteries
Adapted from a short story told in reverse, the film veers between speculative mystery and coming-of-age drama, but only works up to a point.
The most frequent topics of conversation in this town include the latest catastrophic news bites and people asking one another about the curious billboards they’ve seen, thanking a professionally dressed, bespectacled man named Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) for “39 great years.” Is he a doctor? However, the film’s middle section is almost entirely composed of an impromptu dance sequence, in which a seemingly frustrated Chuck joins a heartbroken young girl, Lauren (Annalise Basso), in a spontaneous swing session on the street, to the tone of a drumming busker. Until this happens, “The Life of Chuck” is filled with delights, from wild tonal shifts between horror and naked sentimentality that work with surprising precision, to a litany of fun supporting characters played by Flanagan regulars, and a general rejection of cynicism even in the face of despondency.
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