Skip to main content

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)


Everything Everywhere All at Once is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as "Daniels"), who produced it with the Russo brothers. It stars Michelle Yeoh. Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis appear in supporting roles. The film was described by The New York Times as a "swirl of genre anarchy" and features elements of black comedy, science fiction, fantasy, martial arts film, and animation.

An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

Freddy and Krasnaya Movie Review
***SPOILER ALERT***

Wild Multiverse Chaos With Real Emotional Weight


KRASNAYA:
Yesterday we watched Everything Everywhere All at Once by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who are both writers and directors of this film. The film came out phenomenal! It is easy to watch (despite the fact that it is about depression and misunderstanding), full of interesting dialogues and TONS of humor. Everything that happens on the screen seems absurd, with a lot of oddities and amazing madness. But this is a philosophical film about how we want to do everything, always and all at once. About how we are torn apart in our small inner multiverse and in conflict with ourselves and sometimes with our loved ones. The theme of "eyes" is carved into a separate line: to see, look at each other, look through the cracks between the palms, etc.
FREDDY:
I think this is the most wildly paced and fun movie I've ever seen! I can only equate the pacing and absurdity of this film with "Mother Schmuckers", a highly recommended Belgian comedy. There were many unthinkable situations in this movie that left me rolling on the couch laughing. I bet the filmmakers, collectively known as Daniels, while writing this story took the first things that popped into their heads and found a way to introduce those ideas logically into a film where all common logic can easily get suspended thanks to the main premise - The Multiverse. Everything is allowed in this multiverse, as long as you have a bluetooth headset with the most cutting-edge software created in the Alpha universe, of course.

A film that in its first few minutes seems simply to follow the drama of a family of Chinese origin who owns a laundry business and has some problems with the IRS, suddenly turns into an epic sci-fi film where the most unsuccessful person ever has the mission to save all possible and imaginable universes using inter-dimensional jumps where you can, for example, acquire highly advanced Kung Fu skills that would make Jackie Chan's legs tremble.
Fast scene Everything Everywhere All at Once GIF
Let's watch this a little bit slower now 😉

Visual Mayhem, Debussy, and Peak Absurd Comedy


KRASNAYA:
The visual and auditory aspects of the film are just excellent. Bright saturated colors, grotesque images and Debussy's music add up to something incredible at the level of sensations. I felt like everything that was happening on the screen rotated my brain like a Rubik's cube. I really liked Jobu Tupaki's fight with the guards in the corridor. What a bright, fast and effective change of images! The second amazing scene in the film is the scene with the rocks. Daniels managed to ridicule the entire modern world in one shot, ridiculing all the hopes, feelings and contradictions of people.
FREDDY:
Debussy you say? I love Debussy!

I can only understand the process of making this film as a true nightmare! How to coordinate all the scenes? How to make sense of what to record first? The person who managed the wardrobe isn't in a mental hospital right now? And the room where the film was edited? Did they catch it on fire after everything was finished? I am really impressed with what they were able to achieve with all the work done here. The scene you mention of the first fight between the most terrible being in the universe, Jobu Tupaki, was one of those moments that if I had been drinking water, the television would have been probably damaged now. In this fight, the cop turned Carmen Miranda was truly an out-of-this-world unexpected comedy moment. Other bits that made my ribs hurt from laughing were: the moment we were introduced to the "sausage hands" universe and the discovery of Raccacoonie. The absurdity is of the highest possible level.
Jamie Lee Curtis GIF
You got to love Jamie Lee Curtis!

Final Verdict: Hilarious, Touching, and Big-Screen Worthy


FREDDY:
Not wanting to sound like a prude, but the scenes I enjoyed the least were the scenes with sexual elements. Although the idea of someone trying to shove an award up their ass to be able to make an inter-dimensional leap is funny, the fight that happens at this point seemed more childish than absurd.
KRASNAYA:
The actors were given the daunting task of playing several different interpretations of their characters at once, as well as repeatedly, abruptly and convincingly switching between them. Michelle Yeoh played at least five different versions of the main character in this film, and in each of them she looks very harmonious. The directorial duet of the two Daniels produced a specific and non-standard, yet deeply touching film. This film needs to be re-watched to see the unseen and hear the unheard in the mix of all the fast-paced footage.
FREDDY:
You are right about the deeply touching part that the movie is also able to deliver. The message about kindness conveyed through the character of the husband played by Ke Huy Quan got me real good. I'm glad that I already had tears on my face from laughter to cover up my sentimentalism.

Anyway, this is a movie that is really worth seeing if you have a good sense of humor. The trip is long, it takes 140 minutes, but could go on for another hour if it was up to me. Not a second was left for me to feel bored. 100% fun. Run to the cinema and watch it now. It's really worthwhile to see it on the big screen if you don't suffer from epilepsy!
raccacoonie GIF
Raccacoonie! 😂

Freddy's Score

92/100

Krasnaya's Score

85/100

FINAL SCORE


JOBU TUPAKI FIGHT

BEHIND THE SCENES

MAKING OF

Our blog is not currently being updated every day.
More from Cine It

Sci-Fi List

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sentimental Value (2025)

Plot Summary: A film director wants to make a movie. His family has feelings about it. Two hours and thirteen minutes pass. Acclaimed by everyone except me. Norwegian Title: Affeksjonsverdi Director: Joachim Trier Writers: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier Producers: Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar Cinematography: Kasper Tuxen Editing: Olivier Bugge Coutté Music: Hania Rani Starring: Renate Reinsve as Nora Borg Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg Pettersen Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp Anders Danielsen Lie as Jakob Jesper Christensen as Michael   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A Universally Acclaimed Snoozefest Today I bring you the movie... let me check my notes again. Ah, right: Sentimental Value. What a boooooring movie. That's it, thank you for reading. But seriously, le...

The Score (2001)

Plot Summary: Nick Wells, a veteran safe-cracker ready to retire and settle with his girlfriend Diane, is pulled into one last heist by his fence Max. Partnered with ambitious thief Jack Teller, they aim to steal a priceless French scepter from the Montreal Customs House, facing tension, trust issues, and betrayal. Director: Frank Oz Producers: Gary Foster, Lee Rich Screenplay: Kario Salem (story and screenplay), Daniel E. Taylor (story), Lem Dobbs, Scott Marshall Smith Starring: Robert De Niro as  Nick Wells Edward Norton as Jack Teller/Brian Marlon Brando as Max,  Angela Bassett as Diane   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Heist Worth the Hype Finally got around to continuing my Frank Oz film journey, and tonight’s pick was The Score. A two-hour-and-forty-minute heist flick that I had been saving for when I had some serious sp...

The Idiots (1998)

Plot Summary: A group of able-bodied adults living in a commune on the outskirts of Copenhagen spend their days pretending to be mentally disabled in public, a practice they call "spazzing." When a quiet, reserved woman named Karen wanders into their world, the group's provocations begin to unravel into something far more raw and devastating. Danish Title: Idioterne Director: Lars von Trier (uncredited; under Dogme 95 rules) Writer: Lars von Trier Producer: Vibeke Windeløv Starring: Bodil Jørgensen as Karen Jens Albinus as Stoffer Anne Louise Hassing as Susanne Troels Lyby as Henrik Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Jeppe Louise Mieritz as Josephine Henrik Prip as Ped   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ Diving into the Dogma (and the Depravity) Hello dear reader! Today I found some time to write a review on last night's movie, The Idiots (1998...

The Celebration (1998)

Plot Summary: A wealthy Danish patriarch gathers his family at his remote country hotel to celebrate his 60th birthday. His eldest son, Christian, uses the celebratory toast to drop a bomb: a public accusation of childhood sexual abuse. The family proceeds to completely implode. Danish Title: Festen Director: Thomas Vinterberg (uncredited, per the rules of Dogme 95) Writers: Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle Editing: Valdís Óskarsdóttir Music: Lars Bo Jensen Starring: Ulrich Thomsen as Christian Klingenfeldt-Hansen Henning Moritzen as Helge, Christian's father Thomas Bo Larsen as Michael, Christian's brother Paprika Steen as Helene, Christian's sister Birthe Neumann as Else, Christian's mother Trine Dyrholm as Pia, the waiter close to Christian   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A 9...

From Beijing With Love (1994)

Plot Summary: A bumbling, small-town pork butcher is secretly Agent Ling-ling-chat, China's answer to 007. Sent to recover a stolen dinosaur skull, he's armed with gadgets that do the wrong job, a partner who wants him dead, and a total absence of anything resembling competence. Carnage and absurdity ensue. Chinese Title: 國產凌凌漆 (Guóchǎn Línglíngqī) Directors: Stephen Chow, Lee Lik-chi Writers: Stephen Chow, Roman Cheung / Vincent Kok, Lee Lik-chi Producers: Charles Heung, Jimmy Heung Music: William Hu Starring: Stephen Chow as Ling-ling-chat Anita Yuen as Lee Heung-kam Law Kar-ying as Tat Man-sai Wong Kam-kong as Golden Gun Pauline Chan as Mystery Woman Lee Lik-chi as Executed Martial Arts Master   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ 007, Campiness, and The Shoe That Is A Hairdryer Today I'm continuing my exploration of Stephen...

CJ7 (2008)

Plot Summary: A poor construction worker and his young son struggle to make ends meet in a cramped, crumbling house. When the boy discovers a mysterious alien creature from a trash heap, he names it CJ7 and hopes it will grant him superpowers, instead he gets a poop machine gun and a broken heart. Chinese Title: 長江7號 (Cháng Jiāng 7 Hào) Director: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, Tsang Kan-Cheong, Sandy Shaw Lai-King, Fung Chi-Keung, Lam Fung Producers: Stephen Chow, Han Sanping, Po-Chu Chui Cinematography: Poon Hang-Sang Music: Raymond Wong Ying-Wah Starring: Stephen Chow as Ti Xu Jiao as Dicky Zhang Yuqi as Ms. Yuen Lam Chi-chung as Ti's Construction Boss Jiro Lee as Mr. Cao   ⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ A Traumatic Trip Down Memory Lane I only have two more Stephen Chow movies left to watch to complete h...