Chuck Chuck Baby

Chuck Chuck Baby caused me to have the rare emotional double-feature: I both laughed and cried at the movie. That being said, I’m not in the most stabilized of moods right now, so that could be a factor. But even with that taken into account, I think this odd, jukebox musical working class lesbian film is a solid little picture with a unique premise and execution.

Helen works in the local chicken factory. She lives with her ex-husband, his new girlfriend and their child as well as Gwen, her ex’s mother. Helen acts as a caregiver for the ill and aging Gwen, who is the closest thing Helen has to a mother. Then, Joanne comes back into town. Joanne lived next door with a terribly abusive father who has since died. The shy Helen had a schoolgirl crush on Joanne. And as it turns out, the same was true for Joanne. While nothing happened in their teen years, both women are now adults. Perhaps that means that now they can find happiness and homosexuality together. Or, has life ground them down too much and put too much space between them?

Chuck Chuck Baby chose a great setting. This is a firmly working class English story about menial jobs, council estates and finding joy and beauty even in that setting. And it’s a musical too. Chuck Chuck Baby is a pretty unique film, but the closest comparison I can think of is Billy Elliott. While the film largely paints a pretty bleak picture of what Helen’s life is like, it’s not without charm. Especially when Joanne shows up. There is an element aspiring to leave or escape from the current situation. Understandably so. But the total of Chuck Chuck Baby does take place in this very working class atmosphere. And it’s great at depicting ways that one can find joy and beauty even within these circumstances. Plus, you get a musical number set in a factory where women rhythmically slap raw chickens.

The beauty found in the film often comes from the film’s visuals. Director Janis Pugh has a great eye. Obviously the musical numbers are the standouts for these. They contain really great shots of symmetry, movement and colour. But even when the story isn’t done in song, it’s still a great looking film. Framing? Solid. Colours? Solid. Chuck Chuck Baby finds a way to make Helen’s life look suitably bleak while also brimming with the potential for something beautiful.

Some of the romance between Helen and Joanne requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. I don’t think that being mutual crushes as girls inherently means you’ll quickly fall in love as adults in a short time frame. But hey, it’s a musical. And besides, the film made me want to take that leap of faith. The interactions between them are so charming. At the start, Helen is too shy and repressed to do anything but yearn. Whereas, Joanne is always open to admitting her feelings. But as the film progresses, Helen grows and Joanne reverts. So by the end, it’s a satisfying push-pull between the two. Maybe it’s Joanne moving the relationship forward through a charming romantic gesture. But as likely, it’s Helen deciding to pursue what she wants and be honest and vulnerable while doing so.

Chuck Chuck Baby was an unusual delight of a movie. A queer musical set in a chicken factory. I imagine trying to pitch this as a script must’ve been a challenge. But the final product is so assured, so well-done and so delightful. There’s great characters, funny dialogue, some really genuine darkness and a romance you can root for. Plus, because it’s a jukebox musical, the songs are way above average for a WLW musical. No offence to all the movies that did original songs. I respect the attempts. But Chuck Chuck Baby has songs you might listen to outside of the context of the movie as that’s how those songs began.

Overall rating: 7.2/10

Other WLW films in similar genres