THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Though it wasn’t technically an entry into my Adaptation Appreciation list for this year, I did read The Life of Chuck ahead of seeing the film and absolutely loved it. I’m game for any sort of existential, “life-affirming” (as the reviews have said) story, and the trailers for this film got me super hyped. Thankfully, The Life of Chuck absolutely delivered, and for so many reasons.

What stuck out to me most from the short story was its themes about hope and making the most out of every opportunity and every circumstance in one’s life—the story’s backwards structure supports that completely—and the film drove those themes home really well.

Telling Chuck’s story backwards accomplished two things: Chuck’s life became more open and more hopeful as the story went on instead of the other way around (that could happen if we had to watch Chuck slowly die after a diagnosis), and it helped demonstrate that all of the little moments—the mundane experiences we take for granted on a daily basis—are not only valuable, but aren’t in vain, either. Instead of asking “Why did I stop to dance?” on his deathbed, King showed us the value in the little moments earlier in Chuck’s life. He chose to dance then because he chose to dance before. I know I’m rambling here; I just loved how King framed his story to serve his themes, and the film re-achieved it perfectly.

Every act had its strong moments—Matthew Lillard and Chiwetel Ejiofor talking on the hood in Act Three (or the stars dotting out of the sky), Chuck and Janice’s dance in the square in Act Two, or the school dance in Act One (and the subsequent galavanting on the football field)—that showcased the magic found in the everyday, and that’s really the whole point.

These are the kinds of films that really speak to me: ones that have magic, glorify the human experience, and rely heavily on the television teachings of Carl Sagan. That last one isn’t a requirement every time, but boy did I love it here. With a slew of lovely performances and a killer score on top, The Life of Chuck was exactly what the reviews said it was: a life-affirming masterpiece. I can see myself watching this one again very soon and finding even more things to love about it. For now, the quote that hooked me in the trailer and that I appreciated seeing in the short story is what is staying with me: “The universe is large, and it contains multitudes, but it also contains me.”