Everything Everywhere All at Once

It’s a testament to how far Hollywood has come in recent years that a mind-scrambling sci-fi action comedy, about a stressed Chinese American immigrant who has to save the multiverse, is leading the Oscars race with 11 nominations and is the favourite to win best picture – a standing reinforced by its sweep at the Screen Actors Guild on Sunday. The Academy likes serious prestige dramas; Everything Everywhere All at Once is anything but. It’s a ridiculously silly, outrageously hilarious and profoundly weird fantasy. And that’s exactly why it would be a worthy winner.

Made on a relatively modest budget of $25m by directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as the Daniels), the surreal martial arts adventure seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest box office triumphs of the pandemic years. It’s increasingly rare these days for independent films to become commercial hits, but Everything Everywhere All at Once grossed more than $100m worldwide thanks to good old-fashioned word of mouth, with many fans heading back to the cinema for multiple viewings.

In an industry clogged with never-ending comic book adaptations, sequels, prequels and spin-offs, it takes balls, a febrile imagination and lots of googly eyes to come up with something genuinely surprising. Where else would you see a love scene enacted with plump hotdog fingers? Or fight sequences using a giant butt plug and a fanny pack as weapons? Or a lofty philosophical idea like nihilism represented by a huge, spinning bagel? (...)

All those ideas would be dismissed as mere gimmicks if the film didn’t have any heart to it, and that’s something Everything Everywhere All at Once has in buckets. If you take away the eye-popping visuals, multiverse battles and spectacular martial arts choreography, it boils down to a wholesome, universal story about family and the healing power of love and kindness.

by Ann Lee, The Guadian | Read more:

Image: YouTube
[ed. Looks interesting. Available on Showtime (and as an add-on to Amazon Prime if you sign up for a free 7 day trial). Also to be re-released in some theaters for some period of time (mileage may vary). See also: Screen Actors Guild awards 2023: Everything Everywhere All at Once breaks record for wins (Guardian).]