Everything Everywhere All At Once
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Released March 11, 2022 (at SXSW)
Official movie poster
I'd been wanting to get back into film reviewing for a while now and continued to struggle with finding the right inspiration. Then I saw this film. And it changed everything. I’m so excited to start writing again and I owe it all to this amazing, inspiring and heartfelt film.
Filmed during the pandemic, Everything Everywhere All At Once (henceforth referred to as ‘EEAAO’) is a film by Daniels. For the uninitiated, Daniels are comprised of two lovely people: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. You may not know their names per se, but you probably know their work. One of their earliest directorial feats was the music video for ‘Turn Down for What’ and they’ve only gotten better and better with time. They directed their first feature film, Swiss Army Man, in 2016 and it starred Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano. I’m looking forward to seeing their future projects. EEAAO is an A24 film (the same company behind films like Moonlight, Ex Machina, The Farewell and Lady Bird).
Alright, so let’s dive right into this review! The movie's title could also serve as a micro synopsis of the film. It is, in fact, a movie about everything, everywhere, all at once.
However, leaving it at that would be a disservice to moviegoers everywhere. This movie is so much more than that. At its heart, EEAAO is a film about relationships. It's the story of an immigrant family. It's the story of the generational divide between parent and child. It's the story of a mother and her daughter. It's about love, and acceptance and the healing of generational trauma. You will be moved in a way that was unexpected but nevertheless profound. And you'll want to eat a bagel afterwards. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee. And I cried more than once (but, to be fair, if you know me at all, you know that I cry during almost every film).
Okay, so let me just put a disclaimer here that I'm a huge Michelle Yeoh fan and have been following her work since the 90s. She's my idol. She is my queen. She is an absolute legend. That being said, please know I'm being as unbiased as I can as I write this: Michelle is an absolute force to be reckoned with in this film. She not only gets to show off her universally-lauded stunt skills in some breathtaking action sequences, but she also gets to truly show us her acting chops in scenes that will break your heart, or at least wrench it up tightly. It’s an utter joy and a privilege to be able to watch her on screen.
Ke Huy Quan, probably best known as Shortround from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, or Data from The Goonies, makes his long-awaited return to acting in this film. I’d always wondered what had become of the little boy from Indiana Jones, but it turns out that he hadn’t strayed too far; he was working behind the camera all these years instead of in front of it. We’ll need a whole other post to unpack all the reasons why he choose to leave acting (the lack of diversity in Hollywood), so instead we’ll focus on his triumphant return. Wow. Just, wow. I was blown away. Remember above how I said I cried during this movie? It was during a scene with Ke (pronounced “key”, FYI and not “keh” as I’ve unfortunately heard some people say). I don’t want to divulge any spoilers, so let me simply say this: Once you watch this movie, you will never look at chapstick or fanny packs the same ever again.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the other heavy-hitters in this film: Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong and Stephanie Hsu. James Hong has been in so many movies (literally hundreds upon hundreds) that I don’t even know where to start, except to say that he’s an exquisite actor and the man looks great for someone in their 90’s! Jamie Lee Curtis is just delightful in her role(s) in this. I thought that Stephanie Hsu looked familiar, and when I googled her, discovered that she had a small role in Shang Chi (she played Shang and Katy’s married friend in the bar). Definitely keep your eyes on her because I hope her mega talent surfaces elsewhere soon!
I honestly feel like the less you know going into this movie, the better. I'd only seen the trailer and had very limited exposure to the actual synopsis before watching this. And I'm glad. I feel like the experience would have been lessened if I'd known more about the movie.
Let me know if you’ve seen it already, or if you’re planning to watch it!