The Dans have managed a marvelous achievement with this movie, in that neither me nor anyone with me lost interest for a moment throughout its entire duration. "Everything Everywhere" is frenetic, feverish, beautiful, strange, and ambitious - and it reminds me why I love to go to the movies.
I've just seen something the likes of which are mostly wholly original. A dash of culture clash for comedy, a sprinkle of family disconnect for drama, and a whopping platter of multiverse (just barely hanging on to science fiction) are familiar from other works. Yet in this concoction, it's bliss to my dumb little brain that aches to be entertained with something new each time I visit a theater.
I loved the whole cast, but I'd like to note Stephanie Hsu, who proved she had chops in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but enraptured me with her role as the complicated Joy. I enjoyed the honesty with which other characters were portrayed - their failures, flaws, and even kinks help illustrate (and illuminate) them. I was taken in by their chemistry and made to laugh at their weirdness. And anytime a legend like Jamie Lee Curtis holds nothing back, I know I'm watching a special production.
The unfortunate thing is, I think many people will be put off by the colossal questions the Dans tackle. It's not like they were actually trying to solve the mysteries of the universe, but they do prod it and play with it in colorful fashion; and any time you dabble with existential confusion, it can draw away from concrete ideas that actually do have answers. I think the filmmakers achieve something beautiful with this film, because despite their exploration of "the meaning of life" (worded more accurately as "our feeling like small pieces of $#!t"), they manage to loop back to simple offerings. Such as, perhaps simple emotion, shared with a loved one, is worthy of our perseverance. Or better yet - perhaps nothing matters at all, so why not just enjoy our time here. There is brilliance in squashing high concepts into digestible thoughts, and it's done in satisfying fashion here. Credit to the performances who sell their emotions, because without them it wouldn't have worked.
Then there's the pure joy of sitting through a hallucinogenic, action-packed, billion-colored stream of scenes, each one with its own hilarious Chekhov's guns and costumes and props of absurd variety. It's excitement you can cash in at the end and chew on for awhile.
It's not a perfect movie, but who am I to point out its flaws? I thought the pacing was too delirious in the first act, but someone else might call it effective. Some jokes didn't land because of their goofiness, but a different audience could have laughed. I really have few complaints. It's rare to witness something so unique shine so bright. Sometimes I feel like I've seen every "kind" of movie, but then one like this (or Parasite, Her, Good Time, or the directors' previous standout Swiss Army Man) reminds me I'll never have seen it all.
One thing I know for sure is that I'm buying a ticket to every movie these two men make for the rest of their careers. I can't believe this early season of movies includes a gem as lovely as this one.
I've just seen something the likes of which are mostly wholly original. A dash of culture clash for comedy, a sprinkle of family disconnect for drama, and a whopping platter of multiverse (just barely hanging on to science fiction) are familiar from other works. Yet in this concoction, it's bliss to my dumb little brain that aches to be entertained with something new each time I visit a theater.
I loved the whole cast, but I'd like to note Stephanie Hsu, who proved she had chops in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but enraptured me with her role as the complicated Joy. I enjoyed the honesty with which other characters were portrayed - their failures, flaws, and even kinks help illustrate (and illuminate) them. I was taken in by their chemistry and made to laugh at their weirdness. And anytime a legend like Jamie Lee Curtis holds nothing back, I know I'm watching a special production.
The unfortunate thing is, I think many people will be put off by the colossal questions the Dans tackle. It's not like they were actually trying to solve the mysteries of the universe, but they do prod it and play with it in colorful fashion; and any time you dabble with existential confusion, it can draw away from concrete ideas that actually do have answers. I think the filmmakers achieve something beautiful with this film, because despite their exploration of "the meaning of life" (worded more accurately as "our feeling like small pieces of $#!t"), they manage to loop back to simple offerings. Such as, perhaps simple emotion, shared with a loved one, is worthy of our perseverance. Or better yet - perhaps nothing matters at all, so why not just enjoy our time here. There is brilliance in squashing high concepts into digestible thoughts, and it's done in satisfying fashion here. Credit to the performances who sell their emotions, because without them it wouldn't have worked.
Then there's the pure joy of sitting through a hallucinogenic, action-packed, billion-colored stream of scenes, each one with its own hilarious Chekhov's guns and costumes and props of absurd variety. It's excitement you can cash in at the end and chew on for awhile.
It's not a perfect movie, but who am I to point out its flaws? I thought the pacing was too delirious in the first act, but someone else might call it effective. Some jokes didn't land because of their goofiness, but a different audience could have laughed. I really have few complaints. It's rare to witness something so unique shine so bright. Sometimes I feel like I've seen every "kind" of movie, but then one like this (or Parasite, Her, Good Time, or the directors' previous standout Swiss Army Man) reminds me I'll never have seen it all.
One thing I know for sure is that I'm buying a ticket to every movie these two men make for the rest of their careers. I can't believe this early season of movies includes a gem as lovely as this one.