08 Apr Everything Everywhere All at Once Review

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and James Wong

Everything Everywhere All at Once, the latest offering from A24, is set to go down as one the most innovative, heartfelt, and nonsensical movies of the year. Starring Michelle Yeoh, the film follows Evelyn Wang, a woman who learns she has the power to exist in parallel universes tasked with stopping the person trying to destroy them all. Evelyn is feeling an increasing amount of pressure as she preps the paperwork for her and her husband’s dry cleaning business to go through an audit while also prepping for a Chinese New Year party as well as dealing with her distant daughter. When an alternate version of Waymond appears to tell her the multiverse in trouble and she’s the only one who can save it all, Evelyn is swept up in events beyond her control as she finds a way to save everything, everywhere, all at once.

While the premise may sound outlandish (because it is), at the heart of the movie is the generational trauma and interpersonal drama between the Wang family. Evelyn’s rejection of her daughter’s modern sensibilities, her ever-growing distance from her husband, a looming threat of suicide, and the baggage of any number of past decisions haunt the film from the first frame to the final one. All this is balanced deftly with the sci-fi elements of dimension hopping and universe-spanning adventures. The best science fiction is that which uses the genre trappings to tell a human story and directors Kwan and Scheinert have managed to weave a story that is exactly that. Is the science part of the movie a bit wonky and hand-wavy? Absolutely. But using it to tell the tale of a family on the verge of shattering that is funny, shocking, emotional, and impactful while also finding clever ways to pay homage to classic movies like 2001 and In the Mood for Love makes Everything Everywhere one of the year’s best movies.

Michelle Yeoh finally found a vehicle where she could let her talents fly, and fly they do. Without a doubt, Everything Everywhere is firmly her film; all the elements and themes flow through Evelyn Wang and directors Kwan and Scheinert have given her avenues to show both her comedic and dramatic chops. While we’ve seen these before (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or her role on Star Trek: Discovery), it’s rare we get to see such a substantial amount of both at the same time. Her martial arts acumen is well documented; seeing that combined with the dizzying array of other gifts she presents here reminds us that Yeoh has been a consummate performer for three decades and while there isn’t a weak link in the acting in this film, no one else is holding a candle to her.

Stephanie Hsu comes pretty close, however. While Yeoh is the film’s main focus, Hsu’s Joy is handling a lot of the subtle work throughout the film. In a movie that can only be described as ostentatious, Hsu’s muted performance makes Joy one of the standout characters. Carrying the brunt of the film’s anguish, Hsu is marvelous as she traverses through makeup and costumes as both Joy and the antagonist Jobu Tupaki, the person willing to burn it all down. Hsu and Yeoh’s chemistry is electric as the two play off each other, ending in an aching moment of emotional catharsis that is equal parts relief and revelatory. Yeoh and Hsu sell these final moments, the crux of the entire movie, and thanks to their performances, the film rockets from good to great.

Ke Huy Quan, better known to some as Data from the Goonies or Short Round from Indiana Jones, has less to do in the movie than Yeoh or Hsu but is no less important. A main part of the cause of the breaking family that is the Wangs, Quan’s Waymond is the paragon of hope and optimism. Contrasted to Evelyn’s depressed where-did-it-all-go-wrong mentality, Waymond’s ebullience is both infectious and nauseating. While both Evelyn and Joy get multiple opportunities to shine, Waymond gets one great scene with Eveyln towards the end of the film that makes his character’s entire trajectory worthwhile. Jamie Lee Curtis appears throughout the film as well as Deirdre, the IRS inspector set to take all that the Wangs hold dear. As a constant antagonist through the film, Curtis is great in her I-could-really-give-a-shit demeanor as a woman who’s just doing her job, albeit at the expense of the Wang’s livelihood. While the Wangs are the centerpiece of the movie, Curtis manages to compliment them in every scene she’s in. James Hong, in less scenes than Curtis, is a delight to see as always as Evelyn’s dad and brings a sorely needed gravitas to his scenes that are necessary to keeping the movie anchored.

Directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Everything Everywhere is a follow up to their equally inventive Swiss Army Man. Whereas Swiss Army Man presents a more surrealist type of story, Everything Everywhere pushes the envelope even father in terms of inventiveness and creativeness. The main strength of the film, and in Daniels’ storytelling, is the focus on the main issue: a dysfunctional family. Regardless of every bit of nonsense the directors throw at the audience, from our characters portrayed as rocks to a world where everyone has hot dogs for fingers, the story always reverts back to the Wang family and their interconnected struggles. Technically, Everything Everywhere is a masterpiece, managing to consistently shift through genres without losing sight of the objective. Be it the brilliant makeup Hsu’s Joy is decked out in or her outlandish costume designs, the level of detail that went into creating the film reveals how well thought out and meticulous Daniels and their crew are.

Overall, Everything Everywhere All at Once will go down as one of the most impressive displays of creativity and imagination on screen. Daniels Kwan and Scheinert’s ability to pull off a zany, darkly comedic sci-fi movie while interweaving a poignant family drama is nothing short of amazing. By far Michelle Yeoh’s best role to date (as well as Stephanie Hsu’s), Everything Everywhere shines a dazzling spotlight on the actress’ myriad talents and specialties. An outrageously inventive premise, combined with strong acting and brilliant direction makes this a phones down, all senses dialed in must watch immediately. Everything Everywhere All at Once is currently in theaters.

Review by Darryl Mansel