[SXSW 2022] 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Review

Michelle Yeoh is ready to fight for all the different versions of herself in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The cast and crew premiered the film at this year’s SXSW Film Festival receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. The movie was written/directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and stars Yeoh(Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Stephanie Hsu (Asking for It), Jenny Slate (I Want You Back), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Kills), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China) and Ke Huy Quan (The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom).

Having been in attendance for the premiere, I can say it truly is a film that is best seen with an audience. It felt great to see this film in a large crowd with an entire theater full of people howling with laughter and cheering on all the crazy action scenes.

Where to begin with Everything Everywhere All at Once? Evelyn (Yeoh) is a Chinese Immigrant who owns and operates a run down laundromat with her husband, played by Quan. Evelyn spends what little free time she has daydreaming about a life that could have been, had she made different choices in her life. She can’t help but wonder how the decision to marry her husband, whom her father (Hong) didn’t approve of, and move to America, would’ve changed her life for the better.

While planning a Chinese New Year party for the community, Evelyn is at odds with her lesbian daughter Eleanor (Hsu) over introducing her girlfriend Becky as her “close friend” to grandpa. To make matters worse they are in the middle of an IRS audit and must keep an important appointment.

Enter IRS Agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Curtis) who gives them one last chance to correct their paperwork and fix their situation. But before this can happen Evelyn is visited by an alternate universe version of her husband. He gives her specific instructions to find the janitors closet because the universe is in grave danger and she’s the only one that can save it.

Skeptical at best, Evelyn ignores this warning at first but, when strange things start happening she decides to follow the ridiculous instructions and see what the universe has to offer. Her alternate husband returns and teaches her how to navigate the universe and tap into the other versions of herself in order to defeat an omnipotent being hell bent on destroying the universe and all the Evelyn’s in them. What follows is a film that is pure magic and fun.

Everything Everywhere All at Once has everything and it is a rare film that seamlessly blends action, comedy and raw human emotion in a roller coaster you won’t want to end. I can safely say this is a movie that will be talked about for years to come and will be an instant fan favorite. What makes this film so much fun is the audience gets to see the main characters play multiple versions of themselves, in sometimes hilarious fashions. What’s more, you get to see some pretty ridiculous alternate versions of the universe, with even more craziness promised in the Blu-ray extras as well.

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It’s also good to see Ke Huy Quan return to acting after nearly 20 years since his last starring role. When asked in the Q&A following the premiere how he prepared for the role. Quan revealed that he prepared for the role(s) of playing three different versions of himself by working with a body movement coach. The coaches were able to develop a strategy to embody movements from different animals to convey the body language for each character. One version of his character is a total badass that gets to beat a group of security guards with nothing more than a fanny pack!

Jamie Lee Curtis’ portrayal as IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra is an absolute treat in this film. I had a chance to talk to with her in passing at SXSW, asking her how much fun it was to play the character and she simply stated: “it was so fun and so freeing.” It truly is unlike any other role she’s played before and I can’t wait for audiences to see this film.

Trust me when I say you NEED to see Everything Everywhere All at Once, and that is not a phrase I throw around lightly. You will laugh out loud, you will be excited for the ridiculous and crazy martial arts action scenes that takes place, there are plenty of those, and sci-fi fans will love unraveling the multiverse in such a hilarious way. Two words: Hotdog Fingers.

You may even shed a tear at the heartfelt moments of the film concerning family and the need to just be happy with who you are. Trust me when I say, that while this film does contain a message, it is in no way preachy. If anything this film will leave you wanting to see it again and again. I never post spoilers in my reviews and I don’t want to spoil this amazing movie at all for anyone. I’ve already mentioned Hotdog Fingers and I will leave you with one more hint: Randy Newman raccoon. Yes you read that right. 5/5

★★★★★

Everything Everywhere All at Once hits theaters March 25, 2022. Check out the insane trailer for the film below and be sure to follow ScaryNerd for all things horror, sci-fi, fantasy and everything in between.