Everything Everywhere All at Once

There's been a lot of superlatives surrounding Everything Everywhere All at Once lately. Bonkers. Crazy. Original. Inventive. Wild. Gonzo. Outrageous. Unlike anything else. 

The list goes on and on and on. 

Being in Denver, with zero access to the film until this past weekend, the "hype train" (as they say) was at full speed and I was trying to manage expectations for a film I purposefully knew very little about and had watched half a trailer of.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is certainly all of those superlatives and it's such an entertaining and well-made film that it's destined for cult-classic status for decades to come. This will be some people's favorite movie of all time (I've already heard reviews saying as much) and I would totally understand. It's not mine - nor is it getting a perfect score from me - but it's certainly unlike anything you've ever seen before. 

To explain the plot beyond some basics would probably sound dumb as hell on paper, which makes me laugh wondering what the initial pitch for this film looked like. Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a stressed mother and business owner of a failing laundromat. She's trying to organize a party for her judgmental father who's "part of a different generation", all while preparing for a tax audit that could close down her business. Heading to the audit, a hero from another dimension contacts her, needing help. There. That's it. That's all I'm giving you. 

"I know kung fu? Woah."

Doesn't sound like much from there, but the places Everything Everywhere goes to range from semi-logical to downright absurd - a particular "less evolved" universe is just outrageous - and once it starts, it never really lets up. And there in lies my potentially only criticism of the film: it's always trying to outdo itself and get more and more wild. To be fair, this pretty much always works, but I also found that it adds some unnecessary length to the runtime where not much actual plot is happening, but a lot of random craziness is. At nearly 2.5 hours, you start to notice and during some sections where it feels like it's spinning its wheels, the length becomes apparent while you're stuck wondering what the purpose of [insert crazy segment here] is. Luckily, everything they try works, it's just more along the lines of restraint and the lack of it in terms of the quantity of ideas. 

That's a small complaint for a film that otherwise accomplishes a tremendous amount in the aforementioned runtime. There's a family drama not all that dissimilar to Turning Red, it's a sci-fi slash superhero film, a kung-fu movie, and a hilarious comedy all in one. It's fairly successful in all four of those things, though I found the action and humor to be the strongest elements. The action is marital arts focused and isn't afraid to include much of the zaniness you'll find elsewhere in the film. The choreography is jaw-dropping and there's a lot of skill behind the camera too, capturing everything with the appropriate amount of editing, slow motion, and framing. In terms of any complaints I may have, the action-heavy segments receive none of them. 

Michelle Yeoh beat Strange to the Multiverse of Madness

Much like a Marvel film, the film wants to blend that action with humor. Unlike Marvel films however, the laughs here come less from quippy one-liners and more from the absolute bonkers things happening on screen and character reactions to them. I truthfully mean this when I say that Everything Everywhere could easily win Funniest Film at the 2022 Rath Awards when it's all said and done. It's not just a laugh here and there...it's consistently uproarious throughout.

The family drama is touching and poignant (though I haven't found this as much as a tear jerker as others have) while the sci-fi elements certainly make up the rules as they go and you kind of just accept it, though I'd argue there are some gaps/holes here and there. 

Despite my minor issues with the film, I have a desire to watch it again almost immediately. Part of that is to catch things I may have missed, but another reason is that I believe it will continue to evolve with a few more viewings. Everything Everywhere All at Once is the type of movie that I must recommend to anyone remotely interested. Go give this film your money. It's original, inventive films like this that are some of the best parts about going to "the movies". 

CONS

• It didn't need to be this long
• There probably could have been some restraint in terms of quantity of wacky segments; there are a couple pockets where it's spinning its wheels

PROS

• Inventive and highly original in their truest form
• Strong cast led by Michelle Yeoh who give a lot of heart to the family drama elements
• Hilarious throughout. One of the funniest movies I've seen in a while
• Awesome, well-filmed, and creative action sequences
• Fun sci-fi elements that explore the "multiverse"
• Good, sometimes great original score
• Expert blend of drama, humor, action, and lots of exposition
• Insanely entertaining

Rath's Review Score | 9/10