--- title: "The Life of Chuck: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-life-of-chuck/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-life-of-chuck" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 24 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Life of Chuck (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 24 reviews: 11 positive, 7 mixed, 6 negative. Most critics find The Life of Chuck warm and sincere, and most of them have a reservation about it. The reviews lean positive, and the praise gathers in two places: Tom Hiddleston, whose relaxed, melancholy performance as Chuck is admired even by those who dislike the film, and the street-corner dance sequence, which nearly every critic names as the moment where the film shares its joy with the audience. Several also single out the opening chapter, with its end-of-days melancholy, as the most interesting stretch. The reservations cluster on sentiment. A sizeable group finds the film saccharine, its life lessons simplistic and its speeches heavy-handed, and many say the reverse-chronological structure loses force as it goes, with the childhood section named the weakest act. The spread is wide: Den of Geek gives it full marks, while The Guardian finds it stilted and unmoving and The New Yorker says its engineered storytelling stifles the feeling it reaches for. ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2025. Ebiri finds the film deeply moving and unexpectedly twisty, praising its emotional portrayal of endurance and the value of living fully. He particularly singles out the marvelous street-corner dance sequence as a moment of fleeting beauty. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-life-of-chuck-stephen-king-adaptation-movie-review.html) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2025. Jolin finds the film divisive but moving, praising its brazen sincerity and life-affirming embrace of joy. He singles out the final chapter as tonally less clear and less rousing than the preceding sections. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-life-of-chuck/) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2025. The critic finds the film a hopeful, emotionally resonant adaptation and sees Flanagan as an especially sympathetic interpreter of Stephen King. They single out Tom Hiddleston’s sustained dance sequence as a joyous highlight, while noting that the supernatural ending may frustrate some viewers. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/life-chuck-soft-edged-big-hearted-stephen-king-adaptation) ## IndieWire — Katie Rife Rating B-. 6 June 2025. Festival review. Rife finds the film warmly earnest and potentially too saccharine, though its sentimentality may charm viewers. She praises its central idea that every ordinary life contains a universe of memories and connections. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-life-of-chuck-review-mike-flanagan-tom-hiddleston-1235044922/) ## Radio Times — Kevin Harley Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 August 2025. The review presents the film as an entertaining crowd-pleaser, though its sentimentality sometimes outweighs its substance. The critic singles out its imaginative, affirmative approach while noting that schmaltz can overwhelm it. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-life-of-chuck-review/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The URL identifies this as RogerEbert.com’s review, but the page content is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be established. No praise or complaint from the critic is visible. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-life-of-chuck-mike-flanagan-film-review-2025) ## Screen Daily — Nikki Baughan Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 June 2025. The headline presents the film as a sentimental adaptation, but the accessible text does not establish the review’s overall verdict. It singles out Tom Hiddleston as the headline performer and notes the supporting cast. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-life-of-chuck-review-tom-hiddleston-headlines-sentimental-stephen-king-adaptation/5205929.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 2025. The URL identifies this as a review of the specified film, but the blocked page provides no readable verdict. No praise or complaint from the critic is available to summarize. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/movies/the-life-of-chuck-review-tom-hiddleston.html) ## Little White Lies — Billie Walker Rating 3/3/2. 22 August 2025. Walker finds the film overly precious and insubstantial, calling it a collection of borrowed brilliance. She singles out the opening chapter’s portrait of disconnected people as the film’s most interesting section. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-life-of-chuck) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C-. 3 June 2025. Keogan finds the film shallow, bloated, and cloyingly sentimental, criticizing its individualistic feel-good message. She praises the centerpiece dance sequence, particularly the performers’ rhythm and physicality. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-life-of-chuck-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 2025. Nicholson finds the film’s apocalyptic opening and dance sequence engaging, but says its puzzle-like structure ultimately fails to add up. She especially praises the opening act’s depiction of people coping with catastrophe, while criticizing the weaker childhood section and its unexplored mystical portal. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-06-05/life-of-chuck-review-stephen-king-mike-flanagan-tom-hiddleston-chiwetel-ejiofor-karen-gillan) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Michael Rechtshaffen Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film uplifting but ultimately uneven, as its reverse-chronological structure loses force. Hiddleston’s dance sequence is singled out as captivating, while the lengthy backstory is called the weakest act. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-life-of-chuck-review-tom-hiddleston-mike-flanagan-1235994900/) ## Variety — Siddhant Adlakha Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film’s mysteries and emotional shifts compelling at first, but says its literal explanations undermine their power. The spontaneous street dance sequence is singled out as especially energetic and beautifully assembled. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/the-life-of-chuck-review-1236136838/) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 2025. Lee finds the film emotionally unmoving, stilted and burdened by simplistic life lessons. He praises the first section’s end-of-days melancholy as the closest the film comes to genuine feeling. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/05/life-of-chuck-movie-review-stephen-king) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2025. Brody finds the film’s tightly engineered storytelling and impersonal apocalypse ultimately stifle its emotional depth. He praises the spontaneous dance sequence for briefly sharing the characters’ joy with the audience. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/apocalypse-no-the-life-of-chuck-stumbles-at-the-finish-line) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 5/5. 2 June 2025. Crow calls the film an empathetic, deceptively epic character study and considers it a masterpiece. He praises Tom Hiddleston’s layered performance as Chuck, highlighting its blend of melancholy and sweetness. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-life-of-chuck-review-stephen-king-mike-flanagan/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2024. Festival review. The critic calls the film magnificent, moving, and Flanagan’s best work yet, despite some stumbles in its last act. They praise its delicate editing and the way it connects small moments of joy to life’s finitude. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-life-of-chuck-review-mike-flanagan-stephen-king-tom-hiddleston/) ## Collider — Jason Gorber Rating 9/10. 7 September 2024. Festival review. Gorber calls the film a stunner and one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations. He particularly praises Flanagan’s use of cinema to give the story warmth, rhythm, and emotional depth. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-life-of-chuck-review/) ## /Film — Bill Bria Rating 9/10. 5 June 2025. The critic calls the film an insightful, moving, and empathetic work, praising its balance of intellectual ideas and emotional tenderness. He singles out Flanagan’s earnest direction and the reverse-chronological structure, while noting that the film’s sweetness and ambiguity may feel alienating to some viewers. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1878335/the-life-of-chuck-review/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2024. Festival review. Wise finds the film initially slow-going but ultimately upbeat and poignant. He singles out its underlying warmth as the quality that could give it lasting appeal. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/the-life-of-chuck-review-mike-flanagan-stephen-king-short-story-tom-hiddleston-chiwetel-ejiofor-toronto-film-festival-1236090298/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2025. Lattila finds the film emotionally affecting and ultimately lovely, despite its ambiguity and occasional storytelling frustrations. She especially praises Tom Hiddleston’s relaxed performance and the dance scene that captures the film’s spirit. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-life-of-chuck-review-dancing-through-life/) ## Paste — Anna McKibbin Rating 6.7/10. 6 June 2025. McKibbin finds the film ambitious and a successful genre departure, though its later focus and sentimental speeches weaken its impact. She praises Flanagan’s control of tone and pacing, especially the ominous atmosphere that shades everyday drama. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-life-of-chuck/the-life-of-chuck-review-mike-flanagan-multitudes-stephen-king-sentimental-problems) ## The Skinny — Carmen Paddock Rating ★★★. 19 August 2025. Paddock finds the adaptation works for the most part despite monotonous pacing and excessive narration. She praises the cast’s performances and Flanagan’s theatrical style for bringing sincerity to the story. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-life-of-chuck) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film ambitious but ponderous and overly pretentious, with its grand ideas insufficiently earned. Strong performances and moments of tenderness provide some emotional weight, but heavy-handed storytelling limits the film's impact. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-life-of-chuck-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-life-of-chuck.md