Everything Everywhere All at Once premiered in the U.S. on March 11, 2022, and a few people are already claiming it’s the best movie of the year. I am part of that few.
This film follows Evelyn Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh, who is a struggling laundromat owner. On top of dealing with an impending investigation from the IRS, Evelyn is also handling her unwell father, a less than ideal marriage situation, and her own stubborn views on her daughter being in a lesbian relationship. Yet, this isn’t the worst thing the universe puts on Evelyn’s plate, that would have to be the fact that there are countless other universes.
When Evelyn’s husband is possessed by another version of himself by means of verse jumping, he tells her that Jobu Topaki, the antagonist of the story, is wreaking havoc across the multiverse. He tells her that she is the key to stopping this chaos and saving the many universes.
My first thought while watching the movie was that it was intolerable. I thought that it was far too cheesy and that the writing was lazy. I was completely wrong. By the end of the movie I was audibly sobbing and the entire ride home with my brother was spent in silence, contemplating what we had just watched.
The acting was impeccable and Michelle Yeoh did an amazing job portraying Evelyn. Big names such as Jamie Lee Curtis also appeared throughout the movie and Ke Huy Quan, who starred alongside Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones plays Evelyn’s husband. But, by far the best performance was done by Stephanie Hsu who plays Evelyn’s daughter. Her role in the film was almost played by Awkwafina, but I couldn’t imagine anyone other than Stephanie Hsu doing it.
Another amazing part of the movie was the romantic storyline intertwined with the plot. Evelyn and her husband start out with a rocky relationship, but throughout the film, she gets a glimpse of how different her life could possibly have been, both with and without him. I won’t spoil any of the other aspects of their relationship but one quote from Evelyn’s husband really stuck with me: “In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”
This movie officially made it to my top five favorites after that quote. The characters and plot were heartbreaking, adorable, and intriguing at the same time. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once truly makes you feel every emotion, everywhere, all at once.