The Daniels “Everything Everywhere All At Once” takes their penchant for absurdity everywhere all at once. While their previous effort Swiss Army Man hinted at deeper meanings, even if it did not always succeed, their latest maximalist effort brings it home in a romp that once you click with it takes you on the movie thrill ride of the year.
EEAAO’s protagonist Evelyn is trying to keep her life together despite chaos on all sides. Her husband Waymond is attempting to divorce her, her daughter Joy doesn’t feel accepted by her when she brings by her new girlfriend, her father Gong Gong’s looms disapprovingly, and she’s trying to keep her laundry business afloat while the IRS is auditing her business. As her family goes to the tax office to meet an account, played by the incredible Jamie Lee Curtis, suddenly Waymond transforms into a Matrix-like fighting machine with a mission to save the Alphaverse.
Rather quickly I realized this is a film you either click with or you don’t. For me watching it the first time on a small screen on a flight I just didn’t. I’m not one who leans into absurdist humor, which so far is a staple of the Daniels work, and somewhere between the butt plug fight and hot dog fingers, I just fell off the track. Yet there was something about the film that stuck with me, and by the end I was misty eyed with the film’s conclusion. Upon a second viewing, after the film stuck with me despite my general misgivings, I finally felt I got it.
Sure much of the absurdity is absurdity for its own sake, but I think if the audience would be presented with just the core of the film, which is a heart-felt film about struggles in familial relationships, chosen ones like two spouses, and unconditional ones like mother daughter and father daughter, then it’d be almost too emotionally taxing. Without Raccacoonie – who I loved from the start, googly eyes, and the rest, everything’s just too real and too emotionally difficult. If we had to confront them all, especially everything at once as Evelyn does, we’d want to be in a multi-verse too.
Of course the Daniels story on its own could only be told with a cast worthy of the challenges, as unique as they are, and as so many award bodies have recognized this cast rose to the challenge and then some. Michelle Yeoh has always been a treasure, even if she’s not gained even half the recognition she deserves for her lauded career. She alongside her on-screen daughter Joy, played by Stephanie Hsu, really held the emotional core of the film together, and let it sing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t note Yeoh’s counterpart Jamie Lee Curtis, who played IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre, and who proved through physicality, humor, and some truly touching scenes, how she can shine in any role especially paired with her now off screen bestie Yeoh. James Hong’s role as Gong Gong proved to be a wonderful addition as expected, further proving why he’s simply one of the best character actors around. Lastly, Ke Huy Quan’s performance as Waymond Wang has been already receiving deserved praise, which is just so clearly earned when you consider his character arc, and his range playing the mild-mannered husband to Evelyn, Alpha Wang, and many variants of Wangs in the Alphaverse.
This film’s confluence of creativity, including the incredible use of practical effects, along with the emotional growth of the characters, portrayed so wonderfully, is what finally helped stick the landing for me. Once I embraced the absurdities, I began to see the full picture. Truly in that moment I fell in love with “Everything Everywhere All At Once”.
