Chuck Chuck Baby

Directed by Janis Pugh, Chuck Chuck Baby follows Louise Brealey’s affable Helen as she attempts to overcome a series of personal obstacles to find her own slice of happiness. It’s a familiar setup that’s employed to fairly forgettable yet mostly watchable effect by Pugh, as the filmmaker delivers a well-paced endeavor that boasts, at its heart, a tremendously compelling performance by Brealey as the completely sympathetic protagonist – with the effectiveness of Brealey’s work here going a long way towards sustaining the viewer’s interest through the movie’s less-than-enthralling stretches. There’s little doubt, as well, that Chuck Chuck Baby’s overall impact is heightened by its vivid working-class atmosphere and periodic transformation into a full-fledged jukebox musical. (The latter probably shouldn’t work but it really does, ultimately.) The inclusion of a sweet, affecting romantic subplot perpetuates the picture’s agreeable vibe, to be sure, while the feel-good finale ensures that the whole thing concludes on a seriously positive note – with the end result an easygoing piece of work that fares better than one might’ve initially anticipated.

**1/2 out of ****