This review was originally posted to Letterboxd on April 9, 2022.
Where to start?
This film won’t be for everyone. I could see some being very, VERY annoyed. It’s aggressively weird and non-sensical, but what do you expect from The Daniels (the duo behind Swiss Army Man). It’s not every day you get to feel like your brain is melting while watching a film in a fairly crowded theater. Michele Yeoh is the best she has ever been as Evelyn, a woman who’s struggling (and failing) to maintain control of her life. When she starts to experience breaks in reality, is her mind cracking under the strain or could it really be up to her to save the entire universe?
Ke Huy Kwan (aka Short Round from Temple of Doom) is superb as Waymond, Yeoh’s disheveled and goofy husband. It’s an unexpected gift to get to watch Kwan on the big screen, and he shines. Stephanie Hsu might be the most memorable thing in this flick (besides every scene featuring Jamie Lee Curtis of course, which is quite a few) as Joy, Evelyn’s gay daughter whom Evelyn is tolerating (Family is a key theme here). Hsu plays down-to-Earth and relatable well, but it’s when she’s called on to chew on the scenery that she really dazzles (Chew the scenery? More like tear down the set wall and shove it down her throat).
Everything Everywhere All At Once isn’t just uncontrolled chaos, there are plenty of poignant and meaningful themes and messages within. With a fantastic cast, an interesting score, and creative direction, Everything Everywhere All At Once is A24’s multi-verse film and so much more. It’s pretty much exactly what I was expecting, yet it still found new ways to consistently shock, amuse, confuse, and surprise me. Everything Everywhere All At Once works best if you embrace the chaos and go with it. It’s definitely one of the most different, insane, bonkers, unique, and special times you will have at a theater.
4.5 STARS
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