Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Together, co-directors/co-writers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart have graced us with what is likely the most original and uniquely entertaining film of 2022 so far.  It stars Michelle Yeoh as the beleaguered owner of a laundromat who along with her husband (played by Ke Huy Quan) finds herself sucked into an elaborate adventure through the “multi-verse” where we watch several different incarnations of her try to navigate through a conflict which threatens to undo everything!  As she traverses though these various universes, we see her as a martial artist and movie star, among much MORE unique incarnations….to attempt to describe it any further just doesn’t do it justice. 

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE - 2022

Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart (Audio clip)

Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis

Genre: Surrealist Fantasy Domestic Comedy/Drama

If you've seen the wacky trailers for this in theaters the past several months and saw that A24 banner before this....like me, your first thought might have been, "Whoah hold on....this looks just TOO wacky and fun to be an A24 movie!" 🤔 Don't get me wrong, I love A24 and it's been a nicely reliable brand for films geared towards actual ADULTS within this Marvel-dominated movie marketplace.....but let's be real here: if you're seeing a film with A24 at the beginning, then there's pretty much a 97% chance that you're going to feel either confused and/or just GRIM at the end. 🙄 I mean we can go back about a decade now, how many A24 movies can YOU recall which even came close to having happy endings?? Lady Bird, The Farewell, The Disaster Artist....and even those are stretching it a bit! 

Well consider me pleased to say that this film is in fact quite fun, wacky, and even....dare I say, life-affirming. It stars the legendary Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn the owner of a laundromat who is struggling to keep her head above water with her long-suffering husband Waymand played by Ke Huy Quan....in his first on-screen acting role in literal decades, he is most famously known for playing Short Round in 'Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies as a child. And they are both FANTASTIC with very tricky roles chock full of both well-executed action and surrealist comedy beats. 

Because off the bat, this story veers off in a very fantastical direction during what is on the surface a typically mundane situation. Evelyn's business is undergoing a tax audit and they are headed into the local IRS headquarters to review everything with a moody, frumped-up Jamie Lee Curtis playing the auditor....when suddenly Waymand pulls Evelyn aside to clue her into some secret communications he's having with another "universe" via a couple of wacky green light-up ear buds which he then puts on her....and then explains how they are both engulfed in an ongoing battle with an overlord who's in charge of the "multiverse" trying to destroy them both! 😯 (Audio clip) And beyond that, there's also a personal relationship between Evelyn and this overlord chasing her among different universes which we then watch her traverse through at lightning speed!

 Each universe is RADICALLY different from the other: Evelyn is a glamorous movie star in one, a fierce martial artist in the other.....saddled with hot dog hands in yet another....and mainly all it takes for them to travel from one universe to the next is to perform some sort of BIZARRE ritual with their body which can range from chewing up lip balm to....giving yourself a paper cut to....let's just say finding a novel use for a large phallically shaped object. :o And trust me when I say that the above description barely scratches the surface of what we see transpire over this film's breathlessly paced 135 minute runtime. 

As co-directed and co-written by Daniel's Kwan and Scheinart (who previously collaborated on the widely praised Swiss Army Man from a few years ago....which I now have to check out), Everything, Everywhere, All At Once more than lives up to the expansiveness of its title as we see an inventive parade of colorful, crazy imagery which truly never quits! And yet the story stays tightly focused on Evelyn and her family throughout....with also a surprisingly clear focus on some large themes including the very existence of the multi-verse, the immigrant experience, generational divides, and most poignantly, the temptation of being drawn into nihilism. It's kind of a miracle as to how the film never feels incomprehensible...and how it even concludes on a very earned emotional note. 

It's a genuine kick to see Yeoh cut loose as an actress in a way that she never has before - depending on which universe we see Evelyn, she's playing several different versions of herself often with subtle variations. She does a lot of clever wordless acting as we can often hear the quiet build-up of different worlds summoning her throughout...it's entertaining to watch this struggle but never in a manner which calls attention to itself. Evelyn's arc in this is a compelling one even though it's not particularly original....honestly nothing you haven't seen from the likes of Charles Dickens, it's very much a journey into finding your humanity. But the creativity with which it's carried out helps give everything a unique vibe.  The rest of the cast is also strong especially Stephanie Hsu giving a touching performance as Evelyn’s neglected daughter and Jamie Lee proving once again to be a VERY game comedic performer (Audio clip)….especially one alternative universe version of her character which pretty much brought the house down during my screening.

And speaking of the humor, it's often over-the-top and this film earns its R-rating with several bouts of punchy violence....but it always feels more playful than mean-spirited. This is STILL very much in line with the A24 brand but never on the gruesome levels of some of their recent horror films. 

This all gels together better than you would expect, even with a run-time that MIGHT be about ten minutes too long. Yeah the final climax makes its point....and then it makes it again....and again. :/ Sorry to be a broken record about this but that seems to be the case with even most of the better films I have seen lately including The Power of the Dog, The Batman, or Licorice Pizza - studios both big and small just seem INCAPABLE nowadays of putting out tighter product which runs less than two hours. Still this is better than most and it almost earns the entire runtime as it just takes you on a glorious ride. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Everything Everywhere All at Once is pretty much a visual feast and I have to be honest after having just seen it once in theaters…..not much of the music stuck with me other than a steady percussive beat playing throughout as part of the score.  And it certainly does the job helping drive what we see on-screen. (Audio clip)  The score was done by Son Lux who are an American three-piece experimental band whose musical genre has been best described as “post-rock”…..kind of along the lines of latter Radiohead but even less melodic.  They started about 14 years ago and having released six albums, they have just recently branched out into film scores with this film being their second film score to date.

In addition, Son Lux produces and performs the music heard accompanying a lovely and haunting duet playing over the end credits – the vocal duet is performed by Japanese indi-pop sensation Mitski and David Byrne, the former front man of likely my favorite band of all time….the Talking Heads.  Both singers have such distinctive voices and with the barebones production of this song, it’s a genuine showcase for both their vocal styles and how well they complement each other.  Throughout the song, we hear an occasional slow-paced drum beat which seems to never quite pick up along with some lilting strings throughout.  It’s hard to describe this song other than to say it just nails the whimsical and wistful tone of the conclusion for this film – it’s called “This Is a Life” and indeed it is! (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Taking this category in a somewhat different direction for a change, I would actually prefer to highlight the COMEBACK of a talent who might have previously been wasted over the past several decades.  And yes, I’m referring to the grand return of Mr. Short Round himself....Key Huy Quan is SUCH a joy to watch in this, now all grown up but still bringing with him that infectious spirit that several (myself included) enjoyed watching growing up. And yes, I consider myself an ARDENT defender of 'Temple of Doom with all of its mad tonal flourishes including his performance at the time - Short Round was as much the hero of that story as Indiana Jones, same goes here! His character of the put-upon husband in this movie could have easily been one-note on paper but Quan navigates several different iterations (through each universe) to pull off a compelling combination of both instigator AND grounding force for his wife, depending on the situation - Wayne has agency as a character and we're rooting for him as much as Evelyn. :) So allow me to celebrate the vaunted RETURN of a previously wasted talent. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

Even with all of the visual craziness shown on-screen, the highlight moment for me comes relatively late in the film and is actually a relatively static scene focusing JUST on two rocks a few feet apart at the edge of a high cliff...I won't spoil it any more than that but this scene is proof positive in how you can delve into some of the most complex ideas in an entertaining way, using the simplest of imagery. 🤔

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

For a platformed release A24 niche film, the budget was a decent $25 million but it's ALL there up on the screen. Of special note is lots of genuinely eye-popping production design even emerging out of locations which seem initially mundane like laundromats or wide open office spaces - Jason Kisvarday lead the art direction team here and he's certainly a talent to watch, having now played in this sort of quirky indie sandbox before with standout work in recent films Palm Springs and Sorry to Bother You! 🤗 That's a pretty strong track record as those two combined with this film are likely the most visually inventive comedies in recent years.  Therefore Mr. Kisvarday CLEARLY deserves a special shout-out!

Of course at the end of the day, this film is still the singular combined achievement (does that make sense) of the two Daniels…..Kwan and Scheinart.  Over six years, they fostered this film from the idea level to the screenplay level to the production level – most of which occurred during the height of the COVID pandemic no less – to the finished product here and what has resulted from their collaboration is a TRULY original creation which I enjoyed thoroughly.  As alluded to earlier, I have not seen anything directed by either of these guys before but now I am certainly motivated to do so.  For bringing some much-needed joy and creativity to the world of cinema at a critical point…..for creating a compelling “multi-verse” which is not some watered down fan-servicey comic book adaptation….and finally for delivering for A24 a film which can ACCURATELY be referred to as a “crowd-pleaser”…..the Daniels are co-MVP’s and I salute them! (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Overall, what we have here is likely THE first great film of 2022 – as of this recording, it’s still in limited in release but its release is expected to continuously expand around the country.  By all means, seek it out and see it on the biggest screen possible!

Currently playing in theaters

And that ends another GOOGLY-EYED review

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