The Life of Chuck

The Life of Chuck (2025) starts at the end. It is divided into three acts told in reverse: first Chuck's death and the end of the universe, then nine months earlier, and last his childhood. Thirty nine years of a life run backwards, and each act changes the meaning of the one before. The source is Stephen King's novella from the 2020 collection If It Bleeds. Mike Flanagan adapted and directed it, his third time working with King after Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep. This is not a horror film, which may surprise anyone who does not know that side of King. Tom Hiddleston leads, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Mark Hamill. It was shot in Alabama in October and November 2023, and Flanagan edited it himself. It won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024, and Neon released it on 6 June 2025. It grossed 21.3 million dollars worldwide. Reviews split hard. Some outlets named it the best film of 2025; Peter Debruge of Variety called it the worst film of 2025 and described it as manipulative. It runs 111 minutes. Good for: unusual structures, warm and optimistic storytelling, and the non horror side of Stephen King. Less good for: the film aims directly at your feelings, and those who think it overshoots have a case. The first act is disorienting without context, and the length of the dance sequence breaks the pace.