Directed by ‘The Daniel’s’ (Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)
Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jenny Slate and Jamie Lee Curtis

The title of this movie is as much a courteous heads-up as it is literal – get set to have everything everywhere thrown at you all at once, in the most energising and frenzied way imaginable. This is indeed one movie where a bathroom break will cost you dearly; whatever you’re guaranteed to miss will be simply inexplicable upon your return!

A deceptively innocent opening to Everything Everywhere All At Once begins inside a small apartment situated above a coin-laundrette business managed by Evelyn and Waymond Wang (played by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan). Evelyn is preparing a party for her father (James Hong), but first must accompany her husband to address some taxation concerns raised by an extremely, EXTREMELY devoted IRS agent, Deirdre (played by an utterly hilarious and in-form Jamie Lee Curtis). That is when and where any form of conventionality has their pages shredded from the screenplay. Before she knows it, Evelyn is confronted with various alternate life paths in other universes that disrupt her existence in the present.

Written by the directing Daniel’s (whose best-known work prior to this had them collaborating with another Daniel – Radcliffe – in Swiss Army Man), Everything Everywhere All At Once’s screenplay is wildly creative and is bursting with ingenuity. This hugely ambitious project boasts incredible imagery and camerawork, and cutting-edge editing. There are seriously so many scenes that made my jaw drop, derived a ‘wow’ from me and not to mention it is seriously, SERIOUSLY entertaining to watch. 

It is also totally wacko’s and wonderfully weird! I think I’ve never seen Michelle Yeoh better than she is here. She is truly sensational! Perhaps only her work in 2011’s The Lady, where she played the now (wrongfully) imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, and 2000’s ground-breaking action spectacle Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo Hu Cang Long), would equal what she produces in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle Yeoh is a major contributor to the many stylistically and comically staged and executed action sequences too. Who knew she had this in her!?

This genre-meshing and landmark movie event that simply should not be missed creates its own endless possibilities by how it enables crossing between universes and via the eclectic and eccentric ideas input into Evelyn’s lives in those universes. I’m so tempted to mention one or two of those, but will refrain and let you discover the hopeful surprises that await for yourself.

One more thing that’s fairly important to add – don’t expect everything, or all that much for that matter, to make a whole lot of sense! A tangible piece of the plot or moments of substance are fleeting at best. Just let yourself be swept right away. This ought to happen seamlessly, but will be problematic if not.

If I have one or two concerns that might cause Everything Everywhere All At Once to run out of steam in its closing 30 minutes, it’s the overly generous two-hour plus running time and a momentary, yet sudden tonal shift. For a film on such a high for so long, it can feel as though it’s losing its way just a bit.

Regardless and above all else, I guarantee you have never seen anything quite like it.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is showing in cinemas across Australia from April 14th.

Moviedoc thanks Roadshow Films for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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