TL;DR – A profoundly weird film, steeped in sadness, leaving you disconnected, right up until the moment you find yourself captured by the story.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

The Life of Chuck Review –

When I walked into the cinema last night, I had no idea what I was expecting. I knew that Tom Hiddleston was in the film because that was the only thing of note on the posters. But I was not prepared for what I was going to see, a feeling that was confirmed the second the ‘Act 3’ appeared in the opening moment.   

So, to set the scene, we open as Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is desperately trying to get his students interested in Walt Whitman. However, the class is disrupted by the news that an earthquake has struck Los Angeles and California is slipping into the ocean, which is when the internet fails for the final time. In the past 14 months, the world has degraded after wave after wave of disasters have stretched everything to breaking. But amongst all the disasters, something odd is happening. Throughout the town, signs bearing “Charles Krantz: 39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck!” begin appearing in honour of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). But no one knows who Chuck is.   

Now, before we get into the review proper, I need to take a moment to give you some context. It is not a spoiler, as it is the first thing you see, but the film starts with Act 3 and then works back in time to Acts 2 & 1. I want to start with this because, inherently, when you start with the end and work backwards, it becomes hard to talk about the film without giving more away than you would like. So, I want to let you know, if you’re someone who is interested in going to watch something profoundly weird and also deeply emotional, then stop reading here and give it a watch [and then come back and read the rest] because the less you know before you walk in is probably for the best.

The Life of Chuck is a profoundly odd film, but the filmmakers know that going in, so a lot of work has been done to manage the emotions of the viewer. There are those bursts of laughter that help you get through the darker moments. Rising moments that help hold off the despair. Also, the oddness that is there at all times has you always questioning what you are seeing. What this does is keep you slightly detached from the film, right up until you are completely captured by it, like you are watching, wondering, and not noticing the vines creeping up around you as the film draws you into its world.    

This is helped by one of the most stacked casts I have seen in 2025. Tom Hiddleston might be in the forefront of everything, but each act is anchored by a rotating cast where there are no weak links. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan provide the grounding that the rest of the film needs before we get into the weeds of the story. Nick Offerman lends his voice as the narrator, whose calm, dulcet tones help you work through the odder elements of the film. There are so many people who appear for just one scene, like David Dastmalchian, yet leave an intangible legacy on the film, given how well they work. For me, the MVP had to be Benjamin Pajak. The way he captivates the screen when it would have been easy to get lost in scenes with such lauded actors like Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, and Samantha Sloyan. He becomes the focal point of the entire film.

By the time Act Three is over, you will probably have a good idea of what is going on with the story. But that doesn’t change the power it has over you as the story goes on, revealing its multitudes as we go further back in time. There is a power in a story crafted like this. It also needs a lot of buy-in from the audience, and that might be an understandable barrier for some people, especially when it delves into the more esoteric portions of the story. Also, because you understand where the film is going to land, I did feel that the final stretch felt slightly overextended and lost some of the momentum the film had been riding on up till then as the final reveal is not as interesting as the rest of the movie.     

In the end, do we recommend The Life of Chuck? I am not sure this film will be for everyone, but if it captures you, it will be one of the films from this year that will stick with you for a while to come. Have you seen The Life of Chuck? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked The Life of Chuck, we would recommend to you Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy for its oddly similar subject material and emotional impact.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Life of Chuck
Directed by – Mike Flanagan
Screenplay by – Mike Flanagan
Based on – The Life of Chuck in If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Music by – The Newton Brothers
Cinematography by – Eben Bolter
Edited by – Mike Flanagan
Production/Distribution Companies – Intrepid Pictures, Red Room Pictures, QWGmire, FilmNation Entertainment, Neon & StudioCanal
Starring – Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Annalise Basso, Taylor Gordon, Carl Lumbly, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, Trinity Bliss, Matthew Lillard, Rahul Kohli, Heather Langenkamp, Violet McGraw, David Dastmalchian, Harvey Guillén, Q’orianka Kilcher, Antonio Raul Corbo, Molly C. Quinn, Michael Trucco & Nick Offerman  
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R