It’s rare that I feel like I’m at a loss for words when reviewing a movie, but Everything Everywhere All at Once has me at that point. So, I’ll just start with the basics and go from there. This movie was directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinertand stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu. It was distributed by A24!
Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn Wang is an Asian-American immigrant that’s down on her luck. She’s on the brink of losing her family business, her marriage is falling apart, and her relationship with her daughter is turning sour. It’s when she’s at her lowest point that Evelyn discovers the existence of the multiverse, a seemingly endless number of parallel universes and with it, an equal number of versions of herself. She’s then called on to help stop a powerful force from bringing an end to all universes.
Everything Everywhere All at Once delivers just about everything I could want from a movie on a masterful level. There’s great action sequences, with some dope martial arts choreography mixed in between the film’s quieter moments. The performances are great, as Michelle Yeoh knocks it out of the park playing multiple versions of the same character. Ke Huy Quan, who hadn’t appeared in a movie since the early 90s, steals half of the scenes he appears in, putting everything he’s got into every second he spends on-screen.
Most importantly, Everything Everywhere All at Once packs an emotional punch. Its themes of nihilism and the meaning of life gave me a surreal experience in the movie theater. It’s one of those movies that makes you take a step back and question what you value in life and how you treat your loved ones. I left the theater with a greater appreciation for the world around me.
With how jam-packed EEAAO is with deep themes and messages, it’s also funny as hell. Whether it's people with hot dogs for fingers or a racoon-based riff on the Ratatouille movie, there’s plenty of laughs to be had. This one really does put you through the full spectrum of emotions.
If you’re looking for something interesting to watch, and feel comfortable going to the theater, you owe it to yourself to see Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s my favorite movie of 2022 up to this point, and it’ll be hard to top. An original, non-franchise flick that will undoubtedly be revered as a modern classic a decade from now.
