Everything Everywhere All At Once - Review

 

It’s virtually impossible to begin to comprehend a film like this. A sci-fi action comedy drama with elements of martial arts and psychedelic multi-cultural, multi-generational emotional family drama as a central theme, produced on a fraction of the budget one might assume a film like this would get. It’s bewildering, it’s astonishing, it’s confusing, it’s crude, it’s overbearing, and it threatens to all collapse in on itself like a black hole numerous times. And what emerges is the kind of film we only get once every decade or so. A film that cuts through the rest of the fluff and almost accidentally cements itself as one of the most astonishing achievements in the medium.

The film follows Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Crazy Rich Asians”), who finds herself contacted by an alternate universe version of her husband Waymond, played by Ke Huy Quan (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “The Goonies”), to warn her that a powerful evil is threatening all of the infinite multiverses and that she is the only one who can stop it. That might be where the back of the box summary ends, but with a writing/directing duo like Daniels; made up of Daniel Kwan (“Swiss Army Man”) and Daniel Scheinert (“Swiss Army Man,” “The Death of Dick Long”), don’t even begin to assume that’s where this truly insane film begins and ends.

There are a hundred things to talk about regarding “Everything”, from its technical achievements to its incredibly strong emotional core. But it all comes back to Michele Yeoh, turning in a remarkable performance at the center of all this absurdity. She fully embraces the weirdness inherent in Daniels and their directing style, as well as just this project itself. There’s never a moment where her talent wavers, be it doing kung-fu against an army of inter-universal warriors or dealing with family strife and taxes. If there’s any justice in the world, then this should be an easy first time Oscar win for an actress who’s already an absolute legend in cinema across the globe.

Ke Huy Quan might be the film’s biggest success story though. After retiring from acting as a child star after roles like Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, he’s returned with his first major acting role in over two decades. Not only is the character himself a beacon of wholesome optimism and a ray of sunshine in the world of cinema, but Quan so perfectly embodies the deep humanity and kindness inherent in a role like this. It might seem silly to say, but performing a character so genuinely kind and sweet is a rare and difficult thing to do, and Quan does so effortlessly and ends up being the heart of the movie, always beating at the center of everything.

Starring alongside Yeoh and Quan is Stephanie Hsu (“The Path,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) who’s role, on paper, is more complex than either Quan or Yeoh’s for reasons we won’t discuss here for fear of spoilers. She manages to perfectly blend the absurdist comedy that Daniels is known for with the kind of drama a film and a role like this requires without ever faltering. The same goes for industry legend James Hong (“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Kung Fu Panda”), who’s role as Evelyn’s father Gong Gong is a multilayered highlight despite its initial seemingly low stakes. Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween,” “Freaky Friday (2003)”) also throws herself into the weird world of “Everything”, turning what could’ve been a five minute throwaway role for a “big Hollywood actor” into a performance that easily ranks with the best of her entire career. Even the smaller, blink and you’ll miss them, roles from Jenny Slate (“Parks and Recreation,” “Zootopia”) or Harry Shum Jr. (“Glee,” “Shadowhunters”) are both hysterical in their own right and instantly memorable, with Shum Jr. even turning in a remarkably emotional performance despite only being on screen for maybe five or ten minutes total.

What makes each performance so good though is the tight control Daniels has over every single one. Directing from their own script, the pair have such a clear and controlled vision for this immensely chaotic experience that it's impossible to separate the two. Their immense creative control over the project, something that could be interpreted as a control freak ideology, has turned out the kind of movie that could never be made by accident. Despite the googly eyes, distorted universes, and cream cheese, it's an incredible kind of controlled chaos that only directors at the absolute pinnacle of their talent could turn in.

Even the phrase “it's not for everyone” isn’t applicable here because the craft and talent on display is so excellent that it basically overcomes any and all squeamishness that a viewer might have over the sense of humor or themes, because it's just so much damned fun to spend time in this world (or worlds), with these characters. The sense and style of humor that Daniels employs here is a textbook definition of how to use comedy. They understand that if you disarm your audience with silliness and laughs, that they’ll be more open to wilder concepts and emotional beats, therefore making the two go hand in hand. If it was any less silly or wild, it would be an inarguably worse film.

Possibly the most impressive thing about “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is how it manages to excel in almost every feat; technical and emotional. One moment, you’re laughing uncontrollably at an absolute absurd moment, the next your jaw is on the floor with how cool that same moment looks and is executed, and then right after that you’re in tears because this moment of pure absurdity has now somehow been brought back around to a realm of pure emotional truth. It all vibrates to a positively electric and euphoric score from post-rock band Son Lux, generating a vibe that no other film ever has before. It’s a jack of all trades, and yet still the film is a master of them all.

At a runtime of two-hours-and-nineteen-minutes, the film maintains an expert level of pacing, slowing down when needed but also keeping the tone and speed of it all brisk. It’s not as hyperactive as one might expect, and it also doesn’t slow to a crawl like most stereotypical “indie” movies do. From a technical standpoint, it's awe-inspiring. The editing is perfect, cutting back and forth between overall moments and individual scenes with a level of detail that seems bewildering. The cinematography from Larkin Seiple (“Cop Car,” “Swiss Army Man”) is also top notch, framing each moment perfectly, even as those moments move between art styles, aspect ratios, time periods, and more.

Even just beginning to imagine how a film like this is pitched, not just to a studio but to the people who’s jobs it is to craft it all, is a fascinating experience. There’s so much genius overlap in various moments that it almost becomes a guessing game of technical feats; feats with visual effects crafted by just seven people. It shares DNA with works like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in providing audiences with such an engaging world and story from both a writing and technical level that it’ll likely be studied for years to come.

To break one of the rules of professional critique for a moment, allow me to speak personally. When I see a movie multiple times in the theatres, it's typically for one of three reasons. With something like “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, it's to experience it with a massive crowd as many times as possible before that’s no longer an option. For “The Batman”, it's to experience a story of that scale on as large a screen as possible as many times as possible. For a movie like “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, it's a purer and simpler reason: just because the film is so incredible that I just have to see it again, as soon as I can.

It’s been a very long time since the world has gotten a film like this, a work with a perspective and ideology so pure and heartfelt, but so willing to embrace the absurdity of it all in such an assured way. It’s the rare film that needs no disclaimers; it’s a perfect work of cinematic triumph. In a world so overcome with despair and heartbreak, Daniels have gifted us a film that seems like it jumped fully formed from their brains as a gift to the world. A silly, absurd, beautiful, heartwarming, magnificent, action packed, gut wrenching gift of pure creativity and raw emotion. Or, for a film that’s anything but simple, in simpler terms: a masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made. 5/5