Fortunately, “Chuck” (★★★★ out of four; rated R; in select theaters June 6, nationwide June 13) is made by a filmmaker who gets King like none other. Writer/director Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep,” “Gerald’s Game”) captures the uplifting and bittersweet qualities of King’s prose and brings his own gift for character depth to the story of Charles Krantz,

The appeal of Flanagan’s take on The Life of Chuck rests on his understanding of this resonant quality of King’s writing; on-screen, as on the page, the story hums because it highlights the ordinary ...