davidaguilarrodriguez 's review for:

The Life of Chuck by Stephen King

3.25

emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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A short, strange, surprisingly sweet little story from Stephen King — not horror, not heart-stopping, just quietly emotional and vaguely existential. I liked it.

The opening hooked me right away: the world is ending, no one knows why, and mysterious billboards start appearing with this guy Chuck all over them. It’s just ambiguous enough to pull you in. The structure unfolds in reverse, which felt... fine. It wasn’t necessary, but it didn’t hurt. Mostly it read like a series of emotional vignettes stitched together to build a mood.

Chuck himself feels more like a symbol than a character — a placeholder for Big Life Stuff: joy, regret, love, time, memory. And that’s fine, because this isn’t really a character study. It’s more of an allegory about what makes life meaningful, and how small, beautiful moments add up to something bigger.

There are some genuinely lovely scenes: Chuck dancing with buskers in the street; a flashback to a high school dance; a subplot involving another man reconnecting with his ex-wife even as the world unravels. It all adds up to a tone that blends speculative mystery with a sort of earnest, almost corny optimism — but it's subdued and mostly works.

This wasn't earth-shattering, but it’s a nice reminder that even amidst chaos, there’s beauty, connection, and weird little grace notes that stick with you. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.