Tag: Movies You Might Have Missed

Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck”: A Few Thoughts for Those Who Haven’t Seen the Film . . . and a Few for Those Who Have

“The Life of Chuck,” based on a Stephen King novella, is a heartfelt movie that has several things going for it even if it does not quite reach the stars.

From the reviews and various online comments, one may see that people are somewhat divided about the movie The Life of Chuck (2025), based on a 2020 novella by Stephen King. Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, and Mia Sara star in the movie, which was written and directed by Mike Flanagan. The film also includes narration by Nick Offerman.

The film is marketed as a feel-good movie in the vein of the heartfelt films based upon King’s other works like Stand By Me (1986) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Few movies can reach those heights, of course, and it is better to think of The Life of Chuck as something of its own.

The Life of Chuck is one of those movies better seen without knowing too much about it. So, below I provide a short review for those who have not seen it, followed by some thoughts for those who have seen the movie.

For Those Deciding Whether to Watch The Life of Chuck

So, should you watch The Life of Chuck? While I did not find the entirety of the film a great movie, I did appreciate its ambition in presenting the story of an ordinary man in an extraordinary way. If you are looking for something a little different with a little bit of heart, you should watch it without reading too much more about it. All you need to know is that it is a movie looking at someone’s life and doing it in a somewhat unusual (and non-chronological) way.

If you do not like movies with sentiment, then you might instead go watch an action movie. But it also may depend on your mood. Those in a certain mood or stage of life — perhaps feeling frustrated with the world — may like many others find the movie a wonderful respite with scenes that will stay with them.

There are movies that are middle-of-the road popcorn films that are entertaining to many people. But those movies do not stay with you. The Life of Chuck might be one of those movies that stays with you. So if you are willing to take a little gamble with two hours of your life in the hopes that it might pay off , go for it.

For Those Who Have Seen The Life of Chuck

The following discussion contains some spoilers if you have not seen the movie.

Act III, the first segment of the film, was truly wonderful. But that is a problem, as the rest of the movie could not live up to that section.

Act III captured the end-of-the world feeling many of us has felt since the pandemic, as presented in other movies like Don’t Look Up (2021), Leave the World Behind (2023), and Knock at the Cabin (2023). Those movies, like Act III in The Life of Chuck, wonderfully portray how many of us feel with a world turned upside down during much of the last decade. Another plus in Act III was that Chiwetel Ejiofor, always a great actor, created a character that interested me more than any of the iterations of Chuck.

And then when the movie went into Act II and introduced us to Chuck with the dance scene, it is a bit of a shock. And even though the brief section where we see the adult Chuck played by Tim Hiddleston also presents an interesting character and a nice dance sequence, we again do not seem to get to stay with the interesting character long enough before going to the next act.

One of the joys of watching the movie is finally figuring out on your own what Act III was about. As others have explained, that first part of the movie shows inside Chuck’s head as he is dying. And the movie has beautiful moments, including the dances and the connection throughout the movie of Walt Whitman’s line “I contain multitudes” from Song of Myself.

The storyline about the locked attic in Act I almost seemed like a throwaway attempt to add a Stephen King supernatural element. But the film does a good job tying together that storyline with the rest of the movie. As we have discussed elsewhere and as explained in books such as Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death, when one lives with an awareness of their mortality, they may live with a special purpose. And we see a glimpse of that where 17-year-old Chuck looks at his future and vows to live his life because he contains multitudes. And then the movie ends, somewhat abruptly.

In conclusion, the movie suffers because the most interesting section was the first section, so the rest of the movie never matches that section. The opening is well-paced, letting us get into the story, but by the time we get to Act II and then Act I, those sections feel rushed, as if they are focused on explaining things rather than developing character or telling a story. Maybe the movie would work better in some ways if it in chronological order, starting with the young Chuck? But then the movie would not have the story (or gimmick?) that lets us make connections on our own.

All of that said, I love ambitious movies, and I was glad I watched Life of Chuck. Yes, the heartfelt story was not as life-changing as some recent movies like About Time (2013), a movie that more successfully questioned how we live our lives. But I did find enough in The Life of Chuck that I felt compelled to rewatch the movie again the next day.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Nicolas Cage Shines In Modest But Surprising “Pig” (Short Review)

Nicolas Cages gives one of his best subdued acting performances in the drama “Pig” from writer/director Michael Sarnoski.

If you are looking for an entertaining and thoughtful drama as a break from explosive super hero films, look no further than Pig (2021), starring a scraggly Nicolas Cage. While the premise and the star may make one expect a certain genre, the film may surprise you.

In Pig, we meet Robin (Cage), living in the woods of Oregon with his only companion, a pig who helps him hung for truffles. The film never fully explains how Robin ended up in these living conditions, but we piece together much of the story, recognizing early on that Robin is grieving a loss.

Before we get to know more about the pig, though, thieves show up and make off with the pig. Thus begins Robin’s trip back to his former environment in the city to try to get his pig back. For much of this journey, Robin is joined by the man who purchases his truffles, Amir (Alex Wolff).

From there, one might expect Cage to go into full action mode to track down the pig-nappers. But the film goes in another, more serious direction as Robin leads Amir on an adventure that is as much about living and grieving as anything else.

The film, which also features Adam Arkin, is an impressive debut from writer/director Michael Sarnoski. I sought out the film after seeing several people on the Internet use superlatives about the film that I will not repeat here. I was perhaps a little disappointed as those comments made me think the film would be life changing. While it did not change my life, it is still a very good film and you should seek it out without me building your expectations too high. Take it for what it is, an excellent story with one of Nicolas Cage’s finest subdued acting performances. If then you find even more from the tale, then that is all good too.

Pig is currently streaming on Hulu and available for purchase or rental through the usual services.

What did you think of Pig? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck”: A Few Thoughts for Those Who Haven’t Seen the Film . . . and a Few for Those Who Have
  • Tommy Lee Jones and “The Homesman” (Missed Movies)
  • Missed Movies Roundup: Contrasting East vs. West Edition
  • Missed Movies: Project Nim (short review)
  • Analyzing Actors’ Accents in Films
  • Is “Captain Fantastic” Fantastic?
    • ( Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Tommy Lee Jones and “The Homesman” (Missed Movies)

    Tommy Lee Jones The odds are pretty good that you might have missed even hearing about a movie last year directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones that also featured Hillary Swank, Meryl Streep, John Lithgow, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, Hailee Steinfeld, and several other stellar actors. But through the miracle of DVDs, you may now catch up on the odd but fascinating movie The Homesman (2014).

    The movie is based on a book by Glendon Swarthout, who wrote several books that have been made into movies, including Bless the Beasts and the Children and The Shootist. Although the actors and crew argue about whether or not The Homesman is a Western, the film is set in the 1850s of what was the West at the time, the Nebraska Territory (although much of it is filmed in northern New Mexico). And, like many Westerns, the film features beautiful images of the open landscape with wonderful cinematography (by Rodrigo Prieto).

    Much of The Homesman centers on Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), a resourceful, intelligent, and lonely woman living on the frontier. In several disturbing scenes, the movie shows us how harsh conditions and tragedies affect the mental health of three women who live near Cuddy. As a result of their deterioration, the townspeople select Cuddy to take the mentally ill women back to civilization. As she prepares for her journey, Cuddy encounters George Briggs, who through some odd circumstances she recruits as the “homesman” of the title, a term for someone who takes immigrants back home.

    Threads of mental illness, loneliness, and the harsh landscape run throughout the movie, which features haunting images throughout. Few movies present such scenes of oddness that touch on the fact that the Old West must have contained many disturbed characters, although we see flashes of it in somewhat odd movies like Missouri Breaks (1976) (with Marlon Brando in an odd portrayal of a character talking to his horse) and Dwight Yoakam’s interesting but messy South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000). Similarly, there is a standout strange scene in Dances With Wolves where Costner encounters a soldier driven crazy by his time on the frontier.

    Homesman is made up of many such images but ties them together in a fascinating story that seems real and honest. None of the characters are perfect and they all have their own demons and weaknesses. Because of that, the movie strays from the traditional Western format that focuses on heroes who save the day. The movie is not predictable, and while not perfect, you will not soon forget it. Tommy Lee Jones continues to show a unique directing eye as he did in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) and The Sunset Limited (2011).

    Conclusion? If you have a taste for an unpredictable honest raw movie about unusual but real characters, and if you enjoy beautiful shots of the desolate Western United States, you might enjoy The Homesman. While it is not a great classic, it is a memorable unusual film that generally received good reviews and is worth your time.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}

    What did you think of Homesman? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck”: A Few Thoughts for Those Who Haven’t Seen the Film . . . and a Few for Those Who Have
  • Nicolas Cage Shines In Modest But Surprising “Pig” (Short Review)
  • “Lincoln” As Both Icon and Human Being (Short Review)
  • Missed Movies Roundup: Contrasting East vs. West Edition
  • Missed Movies: Project Nim (short review)
  • 9 Thoughts on the “Deliver Me from Nowhere” Movie and Springsteen’s “Nebraska” Box Set

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Missed Movies Roundup: Contrasting East vs. West Edition

    Below are some good reviews of some good movies that we liked that you might have missed. Both of these movies, which are very different, are available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

    How Do You Know Reese Witherspoon How Do You Know (2010) seemed to fly mostly under the radar as just another romantic comedy, perhaps partly because of the generic-sounding name. It bombed with critics and bombed at the box office, perhaps partly due to poor marketing, as explained in The Washington Post. But How Do You Know was written and directed by James L. Brooks, who also directed and co-wrote screenplays for As Good As it Gets (1997) and Terms of Endearment (1983). And like those two movies, How Do You Know features Jack Nicholson, although in a smaller role than the previous films. While How Do You Know does not live up to those predecessors, it does have a touch of the Brooks magic in that it is not a predictable romp with two-dimensional characters like so many modern romantic comedies. The film features nice performances by Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd. If you have high expectations, though, you might agree with Manohla Dargis at The New York Times that it is “an airless, sometimes distressingly mirthless comedy.” Okay, the reviews are pretty much horrible (except this one from Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald). At the beginning of the film, I felt like something was missing, but as it went on, it was entertaining. It is not great, but if you are looking for a decent romantic comedy and go into it with modest expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised by this film.

    Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) has critics and audience ratings of 90+% on the Rotten Tomatoes website. I do not think everyone will love it, and suspect that the high rating among audience members is because the people who would see this movie are the ones who would like it. Among others, Movie Habit gives the movie a good review. The South Korean film starts off with a boy being raised by a monk in an isolated area, and it follows the boy as he grows into a man. The movie has dialogue, but not a lot, so it is almost like watching a silent movie in a beautiful setting full of symbolism. I am still trying to decide how much I like it, but unlike How Do You Know, I will remember this one for a long time.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}

    What did you think of How Do You Know and of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck”: A Few Thoughts for Those Who Haven’t Seen the Film . . . and a Few for Those Who Have
  • Nicolas Cage Shines In Modest But Surprising “Pig” (Short Review)
  • Tommy Lee Jones and “The Homesman” (Missed Movies)
  • Missed Movies: Project Nim (short review)
  • The Killers Lament Another “Christmas in L.A.”
  • Is “Captain Fantastic” Fantastic?

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    Missed Movies: Project Nim (short review)

    project nim nim chomsky documentary

    Project Nim (2011) is a fascinating documentary that follows the life of Nim, a chimpanzee who was part of an experiment in teaching chimps to communicate. Nim Chimpsky, named with a humorous nod to linguist Noam Chomsky, became famous for his ability to use sign language as part of a study by Herbert Terrace, a Columbia University behavioral psychologist. The documentary shows the ups and downs of Nim’s life where he is repeatedly removed from his environment in the name of science. The film asks questions about the role of communication and our human relationships to animals.

    Although the movie shows Nim repeatedly abandoned, it also features several people who cared very much about the chimp. Ultimately, it’s the human stories in the film that make the movie compelling. While Nim’s behavior is interesting to the scientists because it tells us about chimps, the behavior of the people in Nim’s life is what makes the film interesting. Because it tells us more about us.



    Bonus Review (Because why should you trust me?)    : Ethicist Peter Singer wrote an interesting essay about the film, the science about animals’ use of language, and the ethics of scientific experiments on primates in the New York Times Review of Books.

    What did you think of Project Nim? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Stephen King’s “The Life of Chuck”: A Few Thoughts for Those Who Haven’t Seen the Film . . . and a Few for Those Who Have
  • Nicolas Cage Shines In Modest But Surprising “Pig” (Short Review)
  • Tommy Lee Jones and “The Homesman” (Missed Movies)
  • Missed Movies Roundup: Contrasting East vs. West Edition
  • Dear Zachary (Missed Movies)
  • The Tillman Story (Mad Movies)

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)