It ultimately delivers a noble message about appreciating the finite nature of human life and its myriad connections, but Mike Flanagan’s sentimental and befuddling The Life of Chuck (C-) takes the form of a gourmet pretzel cooling off for a significant spell before it finally cuts the mustard.  Because Stephen King doesn’t write Hallmark cards, his adapted source material is called a novella; and in three acts told in reverse order, the tonally confused film of this story traces an array of key moments in the titular character’s timeline. These incidents range from stargazing at the end of the world to spontaneous dancing in public, but the sweet and salty sequences rarely coalesce into a satisfying meal. There’s an emptiness at the center of the movie that well-meaning actors ranging from Tom Hiddleston to Jacob Tremblay playing Chuck at various ages can’t adequately embody. Supporting characters dole out doses of wisdom in this treacly journey, and actors such as Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Hamill don’t get much to do in their passages. The combination of a lack of gravity in the film’s core and the backwards storytelling cloak the film’s perky emptiness. There’s a chance some of the individual revelations may touch viewers in various ways, but it could also just be relief that the film is reaching completion. Wistful narration and nostalgia aren’t enough to fill in the blanks of this listless film.