Everything Everywhere All At Once is superb. I had to say that right off the bat as it’s a movie that now has a special place in my heart. It might be the fact that there is a butt plug fight scene. Or that there is a moment when two rocks sitting on a cliff made me tear up. Yes, this is a weird movie. And it’s bloody marvelous.
Directed by the Daniels ((Scheinert and Daniel Kwan) and starring Michelle Yeoh, the film is a marriage between The Matrix, Kung Fu Hustle, and a coming of age story. On the surface it’s an entertaining action/comedy that reminded me of Jackie Chan. Only with some of the most out there scenes every put on the big screen.
Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese laundromat living in America. Her English is okay, her tax returns are not. Joining her are her husband (Ke Huy Quan) and her lesbian daughter ((Stephanie Hsu). I mention lesbian because it’s an important part of the family dynamic. Being a traditional Chinese family means that the grandad hasn’t been told this because, well, he’s old and bigoted. Which leads to much tension between mother and daughter.
Out of the blue Wang’s husband from another universe tells her that she is key to saving everyone. Not because she is super special, but the exact opposite. Because she is the literally the worst version of herself in the multiverse she is able to access the skills of all her other selves. Whether that be kung fu, or singing. It’s a blast!
In the trailer you will also see a version of Wang with long, sausage-like fingers because why not? Everything Everywhere All At Once is funny as hell with stuff like this. At first you are laughing you head off at this ludicrous situation, but as the movie heads into its third act, you don’t. Why? Because it plays with your heart, big time. A scene that SHOULD be hysterical because it’s utterly ludicrous, becomes sentimental and warm. I obviously don’t want to give spoilers away so I can’t give you examples, just trust me. There wasn’t a dry eye in the cinema towards the end.
I want to also point out Stephanie Hsu, she is phenomenal in the movie and I really hope to see more of her in the future. Jamie Lee Curtis is superb as a tax officer/lover/kung fu killing machine. In fact, at first I didn’t even recognise her!
This is a movie that should really be doing better than it is. I watched it one day, then I watched Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness the day after, and guess which one I am still thinking about? Yeah, not Dr Strange (though I did enjoy the movie).
It also explores philosophical and existential concepts in some of the most beautiful ways imaginable. What would you do if you knew everything? Would you turn bad? Would you care anymore? Again, I need to shush because of spoilers, damn this movie! It’s one of the hardest films to talk about without giving away so much of what makes it unique.
Go out and see Everything Everywhere All At Once. It deserves as much attention as it can get. A unique, and refreshing movie like this needs to be shared wide. I give this movie a…
9/10
All the series and all the movies couldn't put society back together again.