Everything Everywhere All At Once
Daniels’ three-part saga is altogether weird and wonderful.
In the cat lady’s den: Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and James Hong face off with Jamie Lee Curtis.
The directors collectively known as Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) debuted their first feature at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 to critical acclaim, winning the directing award in the U.S. Dramatic category for their inventive, cadaverous buddy film Swiss Army Man. In their second feature, Daniels’ presents the thinking person’s multiverse. Full of marvellous visual sorcery and grounded by universal emotion, Everything Everywhere All At Once is the ultimate multiversal film.
Coin laundry operator Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) finds herself in the middle of an IRS audit while trying to balance business and fractured family dynamics. Everyone needs something from Evelyn, including her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu), father Gong Gong (James Hong) and husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan – that’s right, Short Round/Data all grown up!). The more Evelyn splits her focus, the less she’s able to take in. Crowded in an IRS cubicle adorned with cat photos and questionably shaped auditor awards, the family finds itself at the mercy of jaded agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra (a delicious Jamie Lee Curtis). And as Evelyn’s personal circumstances close in around her, a sudden interdimensional rift threatens not only her own reality, but the multiverse itself.
As with their debut, Daniels’ follow-up defies genre, mashing everything from martial arts to science-fiction and fantasy into the mix. There’s an obligatory Kubrick homage with a full-on ‘The Dawn of Man’ sequence, complete with Also sprach Zarathustra fanfare. Even a certain studio’s penchant for live-action adaptations is ribbed in the form of Raccoon chef ‘Raccacoonie’ (the critter is incidentally voiced by none other than Pixar legend Randy Newman). In a true ensemble piece, Michelle Yeoh is the captivating force at the journey’s centre. Though it’s all wildly divergent, behind the fantastic facade is a deeply moving and richly illustrated family drama. A number of recent films have expressed the complexities of family in larger-than-life ways, such as Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red, but none can touch the emotional power of this everything bagel.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tallie Medel, Biff Wiff, Sunita Mani, Aaron Lazar.
Dir Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Pro Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang and Michelle Yeoh, Screenplay Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Ph Larkin Seiple, Pro Des Jason Kisvarday, Ed Paul Rogers, Music Son Lux, Costumes Shirley Kurata, Sound Andrew Twite.
AGBO/Ley Line Entertainment/IAC Films/Year of the Rat-A24.
139 mins. USA. 2021. US Rel: 25 March 2022. UK Rel: 13 May 2022. Cert. 15.
Thank you to Metropolitan Theatres
