Everything Everywhere All at Once
There is a lot going on in one of last year’s best movies but it never to much
Everything Everywhere All at Once
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As you may surmise from the title there is a lot going on in this movie by “The Daniels”as co-writer/directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have self styled themselves. It is exactly the exercise in creativity you might expect from two grown men who go by a fused nickname at work. It is it a lot of action packed fun. Much of the action is zany and at times even mind bending. Originally the Daniels had Jackie Chan in mind for the lead role. Being familiar with Jackie Chan movies I can see that movie in my mind and it would have been fun, but most likely forgettable fun. I am glad that movie didn’t get made because Michelle Yeoh was cast instead and the final product is more than a high quality Jackie Chan movie; it is a powerful treatise on identity and choice. I have been a big fan of Yeoh for a long time and though there are a number of great performances, it is Yeoh who grounds the central idea that our choices shape not only our lives but who we are. She is the beating heart of this film. Yeoh also has a lot of distinct roles to play even though they are all the same person. Her character Evelyn explores her identity as a person, a daughter, a wife, a mother, a woman, a lover, and an Asian American. It is a dizzying array and it is made all the more so by the fact that all of it is happening as Evelyn finds herself bouncing in and out of parallel worlds, each created by every single choice that she has ever made. The opportunities for exploration are infinite and The Daniel’s take full advantage. Their script uses very creative situations to explore familiar themes. In what is for my money the s most epic script decision, the Daniel’s hinge all the events on the premise of saving the multiverse. Thereby making the hook and the surprise, that this is essentially the most interesting superhero movie ever made. This would have been enough to entertain but instead the Daniel’s have used the hook to disguise the movies true premise; the transformational journey of Evelyn and her family. The other members of Evelyn’s family are her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). It is a wonderful performance that is equal parts physically fantastic and emotionally poignant. I will never look at a guy in a fanny pack quite the same. Their daughter Joy is played by Stephanie Hsu. Hsu is pitch perfect as a lost and frustrated young adult. I am male, straight and white so I speak with no authority whatsoever but I believed that she accurately portrayed her characters identity. I want to mention Tallie Medel who has a small but important role as Becky, Joy’s girlfriend. It would have been easy for this role to feel underwritten but Medel doesn’t let that happen. The last major player is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who is mostly remembered these days as the scream queen of the Halloween movies. She reminds us how good an actress she is in a triple role that features three delightfully distinct performances. Everything starts as a conventional family drama and when it thrust into the multiverse I initially found the Everywhere, All at Once confusing. Once I got a handle on things I settled back in. I am unlikely to notice this next time but I felt really disconnected at the time. I mention it to say if you get lost, stick it out. This deserves to be watched more then once anyway. To summarize: this is a family drama masquerading as a superhero movie, acting like a classic Hong Kong action flick and it is brilliant. That this remotely works on a physical level is such a feat of filmmaking it deserves an award. That it works a social emotional level, successfully handling issues of self, gender, cultural identity, LGBTQ and more make it arguably a work of genius.
Thoughts? Feel free to weigh in!
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Where to watch
Steaming on Amazon Prime
Rent or Buy on Apple TV