Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) movie review

Everything Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant who owns a laundromat with her husband Waymond. While dealing with her fracturing relationships between her and her husband, father, and daughter, a Waymond from an alternate universe visits Evelyn and tells her that he needs her help saving the multiverse from a great threat. Now Evelyn has to connect with other versions of herself across countless universes as she begins to see other lives she could have led. The film has enjoyed a lengthy festival run, with widespread praise from critics and audiences, now that it has finally entered a wide release.

Dan Kwan and Daniel Daniel Scheinert (or Daniels), who directed the 2016 cult hit Swiss Army Man, direct the utter insanity that is Everything Everything Everywhere All, with the help of Joe and Anthony Russo producing the film. If you aren’t the type of filmgoer who was genuinely looking forward to Morbius (2022), odds are you heard about Everything Everywhere as it went from festival run to limited release to a wide release which is apparently getting even wider this weekend. While I didn’t think the film was quite as good as everyone said (for a few very specific reasons), I do think this is one that is worth watching. You know yourself; if you think it looks like utter nonsense in a bad way, a skeptical mind could absolutely keep you from enjoying this movie. And understandably so! This is a very strange movie and one that will probably take many casual moviegoers out of their comfort zone. But if you want a good time in a movie that feels unlike most others- I do recommend checking this film out!

Right away I do want to praise this film as much as possible for the creative story, as well as the mind boggling visuals and pure insanity that is editing and even cinematography! Daniels really tackle their vision here, taking on what I assume is a slew of subgenres that they absolutely hate with some of the most graceful satire I’ve ever seen. Larkin Seiple’s cinematography, Paul Rogers’s editing, Son Lux’s score- it’s all incredibly unique and incredibly creative.

Where many multiverse movies focus on bringing IPS together or hunting as many Jet Li’s as possible, Everything Everywhere does feel like, first and foremost, it tells the story of Evelyn and her journey through this adventure, which feels as small-scale and contained as it does feel epic and, well, everywhere. Confused? Yeah this movie is really hard to explain without talking too much about the insanity that occurs for this two hours, nineteen minutes. Still, to balance such a story- such a creative world full of trippy visuals and some of the greatest action sequences of the year- with a story that really digs into a character story? It’s very good.

The real standout here is the cast. Michelle Yeoh? Fantastic. I’m not saying it’s her all-time best performance, but- it might be her best performance? I mean she has to play one character not only dealing with the enormous stress of life like taxes and family, but the vast multiverse where she has to learn (and play) like a dozen versions of herself. Ke Huy Quan is back after a rather long retirement! Pretty sure the last time I saw him he was driving Indiana Jones’ car with bricks on hit feet. But yeah he’s great! Stephanie Hsu! I don’t know her from much, but she’s fantastic! The always reliable and entertaining James Hong is as hilarious as ever! And Jamie Lee Curtis is having the time of her life!

I know again I’m being a bit vague. I would LOVE to dive into this film further, but I do think it is very good and worth seeing, and the less you know going in, the better. That said, I do want to talk a little about the themes in this movie. I’ll be vague, but it’s important. Like Swiss Army Man, Everything Everywhere has this ‘will it, won’t it’ feel of how sarcastic it is compared to how genuinely heartfelt it is. And like Swiss Army Man, this film goes for that meaningful finale- and I think totally misses. The intent is there, but first, it is very hard to take this movie seriously when it is trying to be serious while still cutting to ridiculous universes. Second, I’m not sure what the film’s theme really is. It touches on a few possible themes here and there, all of which could be potentially very interesting! But it ends with very broad strokes that end up making the whole film feel interestingly pointless.

So Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s an acquired taste for sure. That taste? No idea. You’ll just have to watch it to find out! Now if and when you do, you should expect a real strange trip full of genuine creativity, great comedy, and impressive filmmaking. Now if you expect this film to leave an impact beyond how weird it is, it does come up a bit short. For a film this long, I am not sure it’s one I would watch again. That said, glad I saw it! It’s very strange, but totally worth it! If you are ready for one of the strangest movies you’ll ever see… But yeah, solid 7/10.

So Everything Everywhere All At Once? Did you see it? What did you think? And what is your all-time favorite multiverse movie and why? Be sure to leave a like or a comment below and let us know! Thanks for reading!

-review by Ryan Prince (the version of me currently writing this in this universe)