Everything Everywhere All at Once Movie Review

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

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Written by: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Directed by: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jenny Slate
Rated: R
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Plot
A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.

Verdict
This movie is such a wild ride. While I could describe scenes that sound wacky, in the context of the movie it completely works. This manages to surprise and entertain while exploring life's questions in a thoughtful manner. This is such a big movie and a delight to experience. It's end of the world stakes, but this can be so funny and silly. I've seen bits and pieces of the ideas in this in others movies, but this one pulls it together so well. Few movies manages to challenge, entertain, and joke like this one. All of the actors are absolutely phenomenal. This movie is so well crafted. It starts great and only gets better.
Watch It.

Review
The Daniel's last movie, Swiss Army Man, was certainly creative, and this one takes it to a new level. I had been wanting to see this since it released, and it completely surpassed my expectations. This is very wild, but so well crafted. The silly elements in the movie serve a purpose and the plot.

This starts with Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) and Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) preparing for her father to arrive and an audit of their laundromat. We get a quick blink and you'll miss it clue that something is afoot.

It's alternate universes, every choice creates a new splinter universe, and each choice can have drastic effects. This is revealed to Evelyn, and she's as stunned as we are. I love the idea and implementation of the universes. Evelyn is the last hope of defeating a great evil. With an alternate Waymond guiding her, Evelyn manages to be in two universes at once, which creates complications in both. This concept of touching other universes only gets more complex. The introduction to this concept and the first fight is amazingly done.

Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh play Evelyn, Waymond

Initially, I wasn't sure what the stakes would be, but this movie is fun from the start. All of the actors are amazing instantly, and you've got to give some credit to the directors. They've created something amazing. Plenty of movies do the save the world thing, but few do it so well and with such humor. Part of touching other universes, this calls it a jump pad, involves do something out of the ordinary and strange. That is played for laughs plenty, but sometimes it gets a bit gross. Describing one of the early scenes sounds ridiculous. Evelyn has to tell her enemy she loves her to learn martial arts and defeat her. This movie has so many ridiculous moments that sound silly out of context, but this movie makes it work. That is no easy feat. There's a mention of the movie Ratatouille that becomes a running joke that this movie takes farther than I ever imagined, but I'm also impressed by how much it makes that silly joke mean. That running gag alone almost makes this movie worth watching, and yet this movie does so much more.

James Hong, Michelle Yeoh play Evelyn, Gong Gong

The foundation for this movie, is wondering what would happen if we changed one small decision in our life. An Evelyn that's unhappy with her life and the choices made is also the Evelyn that might save the world. This is a rumination on our place in the world and how insignificant humans are in the vast expanse of the universe. You can extrapolate events in the movie to describe the meaning of life, or at least the purpose. I could describe events in this movie that seem wacky, but when you put it together you get something that is creative and probing. This considers what it means to exist in this world and how our choices affect our path. There's plenty of metaphors and references. This movie is just so much fun. With every scene I was surprised, impressed, and entertained.