JT'S FILM REVIEW! - 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

Okay, how do I begin to describe "Everything Everywhere All at Once"? It's a black comedy sci-fi fantasy time traveling multiverse film and even that doesn't begin to describe the anarchy found within. The movie opens with Michelle Yeoh's Evelyn Wang, a down on her luck laundromat owner with a sensitive husband Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan) and a misunderstood daughter ironically named Joy (Stephanie Hsu) that has to also deal with a tax auditor named Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis).

While at the IRS building meeting with Deirdre, Waymond suddenly becomes possessed by a completely different person. This person is actually Waymond from another Universe and he has come to warn her that there is a terrible entity making its way throughout the Multiverse. In the Alphaverse that this Waymond comes from, it turns out that Alpha Evelyn is the one who discovered how to jump to the various Universes and now Evelyn in the present Universe may be the only one who can stop this evil from destroying everything... everywhere... all at once.

Now, this is simply the best way that I could sum up the movie without giving too much away. It's a movie that simply has to be experienced to be believed. This is a movie that most studios would have probably turned away but this is A24 here and they definitely don't mind taking chances on movies that are quite bizarre.

The movie is mainly a showcase for Yeoh who gets to show off an incredible range as an actor. Of course, she also gets to show off her killer choreography that made her an action icon in the 1990s. With all of the wacky things that happen in this movie (and there are plenty of wacky things that happen), the true heart of the story surrounds Evelyn and her family so Yeoh has a lot of emotional weight to carry on her shoulders in addition to all the action.

Thankfully, though, she doesn't have to carry the weight of the story alone. As I mentioned before, at the heart of this otherworldly story is a family. Quan is an actor who had largely retired after his child acting days in films such as "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". I really wish he hadn't retired because he is absolutely phenomenal as Waymond.

He is a big part of the heart of this movie and he also has great chemistry with Yeoh. Together, they both gave award worthy performances. In the primary Universe of the movie, Quan gives Waymond the sensitivity and unabashed kindness that makes you root for him. Waymond from the Alphaverse is a genuine badass though he doesn't give up that kindness that defines the character.

Then there is Curtis as the droll IRS auditor Deirdre. She is a great supporting actress in this movie and both a genuine threat and genuinely funny when the script calls for it. You can tell that Curtis is having a great time playing a character that she's not used to playing and she nails it.

With all the chaos that ensues in this movie, it could have easily gone way over-the-top and been way too confusing for the average viewer. Thankfully, the filmmakers avoid falling completely off the cliff and manage to tie together everything that they present to the audience.

At the end of the day, what we have here is a rather unique film that stands on its own with a solid message about family relationships and a broader look at themes such as the meaning of life, particularly nihilism. It is a slam bang film that has the true heart of an art film. "Everything Everywhere" is also a movie that shows just how talented Yeoh is as an actress and it was great that Quan also returned and I truly hope that this leads to more roles for the actor so that his talents are never wasted again.

5/5 Stars