Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
If you ask anyone to name two facts about me and movies, they’ll most likely tell you that
- I LOVE old movies and almost exclusively watch those, and
- I’m not too hot on new movies.
That’s not a knock on film nowadays; I’m just more interested in the wealth of great cinema from the past. But at the same time, every now and then a new movie comes along that just blows my mind.
Such was my experience watching Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Evelyn and Waymond Wang (Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan) are a Chinese immigrant couple living in California; running a laundry while caring for Evelyn’s older father (James Hong). Life for Evelyn seemingly revolves around controlling the family business and the family itself; her husband’s eccentric positivity, or her daughter’s (Stephanie Hsu) relationships. Amidst all of this mundane routine comes a letter: the Wangs must visit the IRS to discuss their tax situation with investigator Deirdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis). It is during this meeting with Deirdre that Evelyn is brought into a stunning new world… or worlds.
I won’t share too much more of the plot; you just need to see it.
The first thing I was struck by was the vibrancy of everything: every color, every shot, every cut transformed the story into a stunning fever-dream. And yet even at its most frenetic, the story and its spidering sub-worlds were still easy to keep track of and contributed to the overall story-arc. And the story! The screenplay is so well-written and allows for even lesser characters (Deirdre) to shine in their own right, and subjectively discusses issues that aren’t well-represented in cinema today, like the Asian-American experience, neurodivergence, etc. Daniels screenplay and direction are absolutely top-notch, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
The first time I saw Michelle Yeoh was back when Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) became a global phenomenon, and even at my young age at the timeI was struck with her powerhouse of a performance. So it’s no surprise that she was able to take the role of Evelyn and turn it into an Oscar-winning performance (a long-deserved Oscar, I might add). Evelyn’s evolution throughout the film is nothing short of mesmerizing; starting with a hard edge as a tired, burned-out daughter and wife, then progressing (and almost blossoming) as the film progresses and her knowledge of the power of the multiverse increases. Yeoh’s own dramatic chops are stunning enough; pair that with her amazing martial arts capabilities… and you have one of the best performances of the year. Bar none.
One of the other best performances of the year? Ke Huy Quan as Waymond. Admittedly, I had not seen or heard of Quan’s work outside of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (the less said about that movie… the better), but seeing his touching portrayal of Waymond was amazing. Quan brings an emotional depth to the role, and plays it with such tenderness and nuance that this reviewer (who doesn’t usually cry during movies) may have shed a tear or two.
The performances by the supporting players too are top-notch:
- Stephanie Hsu’s dual-role as the Wang’s daughter and Jobu Tupaki shows depth and versatility with both drama and comedy
- Screen legend James Hong appears as Evelyn’s father Gong-Gong
- …and holy shit Jamie Lee Curtis getting an Oscar for her role as Deirdre? She had an amazing character role and ran away with it.
We’re only three years into the 2020’s, but Everything Everywhere All At Once will definitely go down in history as one of the best films of this decade. The perfect amalgamation of acting, story, and visuals all come together to tell an individual, touching story of love and relationship. Don’t skip out, and be sure to see this film as soon as you can.
Jake is a digital nomad, content creator, and classic film geek. If you want to read more, make sure and check out his main Medium page (medium.com/nomadicjake), or visit his homepage (https://nomadicjake.co/)
