User Reviews

I have trouble turning off my brain. Anxieties, worries, mundane to-dos, even positive things, sometimes feel like they're swirling around in a chaotic funnel cloud and I would like nothing more than to sit in physical and mental silence.

"Everything Everywhere All At Once" felt like the inside of my head. In a world of non-stop, 24/7 news, most of it bad, how is a person like me, who has trouble filtering out things that affect me directly from all of the other things that are just out there happening in general and over which I have no control, supposed to cope?

One answer is to decide that nothing matters anyway and give up caring. But that means deciding that my wife doesn't matter. And that my kids don't matter. And that art, and nature, and things that bring joy to my life, don't matter.

Another way is to decide that some things, ok maybe most things, don't matter, but that there are things that do, and those are the things that make it all worth it. I get to decide what those things are.

The first approach is nihilistic. The second approach is empowering. This film explores both approaches, and I was a sobbing mess at the end.

I will say there were times that I was a bit exhausted by this movie. It throws a lot on the screen and at the viewer, and occasionally it can't keep up with its ambitions. But this was mostly a home run.

Michell Yeoh does terrific work in this, but the MVP is Ke Huy Quan (Short Round from the "Indiana Jones" movies).

Grade: A.

Profoundly deep, genuinely moving, utterly hilarious, highly imaginative and a visual feast. Haven't laughed this hard, cried this much or thought so deeply about any film in 2022 Much less all in the same viewing. This was indeed everything, everywhere all at once.

If you take drugs for the first time and imagined Jackie Chan was a female Dr. Strange in another universe this would be it. And the synopsis is basically an Asian woman trying to do her taxes. I thought the third act of the movie felt a little stretched out but otherwise I think it's the best movie I've seen all year because I haven't laughed this much in any recent one. From the short time I spent in China, it's also an accurate and hilarious view of Chinese parents 'cause they really do be like that. I can't recommend it enough, it's so chaotic and in the middle of all that managed to be heartfelt too. I thought it was gonna be a Dr Strange wannabe but it's unique on it's own and I'm glad it was released earlier so that people don't compare them. It was just four people (strangers) in the cinema, we were laughing our asses off and it made me sad because everyone deserves to see this. At a time when remakes and reboots are common place it's nice to have something like this, a breath of fresh air.

"Be kind, especially when you don't know what's going on."

If only we could recognize that those who combat us in life do so out of hidden pain, and fight them with kindness. If only we could accept our kids for who they are, and say supportive things from the heart instead of trying to mold them. If only we could be content with the life we have, and set aside the idea of the countless other lives we might have led, had we made different decisions along the way. If only we could see that the flipside to life being meaningless and everything ultimately being sucked into the abyss is the freedom that comes from that, that we can do anything with the time we've got.

Like the first word in its title, this film feels like everything. While watching it I thought Stephanie Hsu was everything too, but then again, so was Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. The homage to Wong Kar-Wai with Ke Huy Quan making his enlightened speech is extraordinary, and the fact that James Hong was still getting it done at age 93 was wonderful. I also loved how both mother and daughter, troubled as they were with their upbringing, each found comfort in a kind and patient partner, and Tallie Medel's character was a nice touch.

The film threatens to go off the rails with its madcap multiverse hopping in the first part, but it's all a setup for the second part, which is incredibly powerful. It was impressive that it managed to be so entertaining along the way, with its fast-paced action and the wild ride it takes us on. It's one that rewards a rewatch to, as its full of little details and references. Just a great film, lots of fun, and from the heart.

Most of us who are mindful of the film can agree on one thing, Everything Everywhere All at Once feels like you're walking on an acid trip experience. It's an imaginary film that makes you feel like you had just swallowed a bottle of limitless pills, dopes, drugs or other substances that may similarly affect your consciousness and memories.

And this movie deliversssssssssss that! Wow wow wow! Imagine if Dr Strange, Limitless, The Matrix, Click, Rick & Morty, Star Wars, Ratatouille and Manchester By the Sea combined to become a film, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the one! Now you must be wondering, how could Ratatouille and The Matrix complement each other to be in the same movie? 🤣🤣🤣 This question should be THE reason you should go support this film now in cinemas!

Produced by A24, an independent film company, I was surprised at how they have pulled this off. Half of the film is located at an office, which is understandable considering A24 produces low or semi-budget films. But it's such a wonder how this movie could be so good with only so few places the movie took place for the first hour. What's even better is EEAAO occurred within closed and overcrowded spaces that may slightly trigger people experiencing ADHD, hypersensitivity and claustrophobia, pushing the film into maximum impact.

This film is filled with action-packed sequences that will blow you brains out! It's fun, exhilarating, creative, hilarious and never-been-done-before! Adding up with the out-of-the-world concept and unique storyline, every fighting scene seems appropriately done and even if there's just so many styles and tones of scenes coming out from the screen, fitting is the right word to describe them.

EEAAO seems like any other movie at the beginning but when all hell breaks loose, the story becomes increasingly complex as it explains the world revolving around the central character, propelling the plot into motion. Meticulously explained, the narrative manages to be exciting and outrageously wild but reasonable within its own multiverse contexts.

Michelle Yeoh, our Malaysian actress 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, is excellent in this, proving that she's fluid in bringing out the best of her multiple character(s). Complicated as it is, she knew what kind of project she's doing and it just shows how dedicated she is at acting. It's not easy to play her role and it's definitely not easy to create multiple personas interconnected by different universes and dimensions, with separate storylines, all destined to have the same fate. This is an Oscar-worthy performance, and whether or not if Yeoh got nominated lies on the decision if the Oscar recognizes speculative fiction as a genre acceptable to compete with other highly-appraisal films.

There were many genuinely laugh-out-loud moments throughout, NOT the one where you're forced to laugh just because everyone is laughing to avoid the awkwardness surrounding the audience in the hall, but the one that it's just funny you're having a truly good time. The script and performance help to amplify the comedic moment but the most special thing is that it's aware of its VFX effects and the team knows how to level up/down the intensity and realness of the CGI. How so? The CGI is very good, but there are times that the CGI is made to be purposely bad, like you're watching a short film by a bunch of ambitious varsity students, and it works! It works because everyone in the theater was laughing, it clicks just right with the moments and scenes you're watching. You'll laugh at how bad it is in a good way!

If there's one dislike from this film is that it's gonna be a tough watch for some people. Like mentioned earlier, those with ADHD and hypersensitivity may be triggered with the intensity of this film. Also, the storyline is difficult for some to digest due to its complexity of its universe-building. The film is promoted as being light and fun but...EEAAO is weighty, dark, bizarre and surreal, only those who have what it takes can appropriately understand the building block storytelling.

Verdict: Mind-bending and mind-blowing, Everything Everywhere All at Once masters its building block storytelling that feels like an acid trip worth experiencing and that experience... can only be felt once in a lifetime. We're only in March but without a doubt, this is already the best film of the year! Sorry, summer blockbuster movies!

2022 is not even halfway over, but I saw Everything, Everywhere last night, and I simply cannot imagine it not being the best film of 2022.

To say I was stunned is an understatement. I am 37 years old and have been a movie buff since I was a child. Movies are my passion - classic cinema, international cinema, domestic cinema. I see at least 30+ movies in theaters every year from all counties and compile a top 10 list of my favorite films.

I can count on both hands the number of times I have sat in a movie theater slackjawed and stunned, unable to move as credits rolled on a film. I can count on one hand the number of times this has occurred to not only me but the audience with whom I've watched a movie. I have also only seen a few movies where the audience erupted in applause during the credits - rapturous, earnest, sustained cheering.

Last night's screening of Everything, Everywhere falls into the latter category. As credits rolled, no one moved in a sold-out IMAX theater. We all sat and stared at the screen in awe before eventually cheering and clapping.

This is a special movie, a miracle of a film, the type of lightning-in-a-bottle motion picture that comes along once in a blue moon to blow your mind and annihilate your heart with its boundless, bursting soul, energy, spirit, and creativity.

In all my movie-watching years, I have never seen anything like it. The closest comparison I can muster is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There are many similarities between both films' unhinged, creative expression as well as their ultimate message of persistence and living life in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds and the inevitably that all things, both good and bad, will eventually come to a crashing end when the curtains on our lives close.

Michelle Yeoh is remarkable and delivers a knockout performance that will surely garner plenty of awards attention. It's hard to imagine many actresses who could have so effortlessly kept step with such a demanding role, but she coasts through drama, comedy, action, and sci-fi with a verve and energy that left me breathless. It's the fiercest performance I've seen from one of the best actresses of our time and one of the best performances I've seen in years.

As for the movie itself, really the less you know going in, the better. I saw the trailer two or three times prior to watching the film, and it did little to spoil the experience. I really do recommend going in blind, though.

I don't rate many movies a 10/10. I also rarely leave theaters feeling the way I felt last night: dizzy on the possibilities of cinema and lost in thought over all I had just experienced. Even as I write this, I cannot wait to see the movie again with new people so they can experience just how special this is.

Everything, Everywhere dazzles with its creative vision, but it marries the bizarre and magical with the mundane and the ordinary to make a statement about human potential and how often we let our daydreams - what could have been, should have been, will or won't be - roadblock who we are. The movie obliterates the veil of ordinary to reveal the extraordinary, but it never loses itself within its relentless, wacky, metaphysical vision.

Quite the contrary, really. When the dust settles by the end of the film, you feel like you have been taken somewhere new - to a place only the best films can take us - and are reminded that even though we might not matter in the grand scheme of the universe, there are kind things we can do - to one another and ourselves - to make the pain and joy of being human mean...something.

And at the end of the day, maybe that's everything.

Ok, the movie contains a lot, a lot. It contains impressive action, drama, SF, humor as well as numerous incredible scenes and shots. I give him a big plus for his incredible originality and idea. However, for me personally, the film was a little too much, to put it that way. In the context of the Oscars, it's also incredible to me that the film picked up so many important awards. Is this the best movie of the year?! Reading numerous reviews and comments, it's clear to me that I'm in the minority and that's why I'm surprised by all the hype surrounding the film. For some, this is even one of the best films ever made. Due to these expectations, I have to admit that the film did not impress me at all. It's not a problem for me to admit that it's up to me and that I can't understand the magnitude of the film, which will obviously be a cult classic tomorrow. But I am surprised that such a strange film won over so many people.

Wow, what a movie. Being able to be so wacky yet so profound is difficult, but this movie is able to to do it all at once(no pun intended)! The main characters exploration of her relationships with her father, husband, and especially her daughter ground the movie, but it's willingness to turn the mundane what if scenarios that we make up in our heads into plot points is truly something special. While it drags on just a tad near the end, this movie is a must watch, and expect it to get some Oscar nods this coming year.

Starting with what I did enjoy about this movie.

1. The setting of this movie was indeed a more accurate representation of an Asian American household. The family dynamics sounds about right. I like that Asians are getting more spotlight.

2. The concept/theme of this movie is rather novel and therefore interesting. Although I think it could have been played out much more sophisticatedly.

3. The parent-child relationship is well portrayed. The perceived lack of validation from parents felt by the child, the poorly communicated love of the parent, the process of gaining awareness and emotional growth for both the parent and child is inspiring.

Things I didn't like 1. It is a very bizarre movie, you could even say chaotic. It's as if they tried to combine every single meaningless detail together and gave up filtering out what's actually worth or necessary to the main plot. Tried too hard to make it funny/original/emotional/relatable that it ends up being neither of those things very well.

2. The movie is also unnecessarily long.

Those two points combined makes this movie just a long, confusing, and sometimes boring mess. The novelty makes it watchable/bearable, but to me, it's nothing more than that.

Anybody who thinks this film is about multiverses really misses the point. The multiverses are simply metaphors for the more "successful" or exciting lives that we sometimes dream that we might have had. To quote the summarising lines "Here all we get are a few specks of time where any of this actually makes any sense". The reply is "Then I will cherish those few specks of time". So the meaning of life isn't about success or glamour or achievement. As the film says in life "Nothing matters" (or nothing really matters - like Freddy said!). So life is about relationships and those few "specks of time" when we share with others the magic moments that make the.golden memories that define our lives. Just a few magic specks of time.

Firstly I should say I thought the actors did put in some very good performances and I can see why they were nominated although as to whether they deserved to beat some of their competitors is another matter.

I have to say I found this film to be tedious and almost unenjoyable to watch. It feels like a film made for the TikTok generation - no overall coherence with nuggets of scenes rammed together. Is this a film I would ever bother watching again - absolutely not.

Yes it is different - in much the same way The Artist was (and who talks about that film anymore?) but that doesn't make it good. It aims for a profound message whilst its style is overwhelmingly superficial. It's a film with little artistic merit or dare I say beauty (I am talking about the scenes and cinematography here not the actors) and it definitely did not move me except to pray it was going to finish.

In short it barely ticks the boxes of what I'd consider to be essential criteria for a great movie. Maybe this is the first of a new wave of this type of film and I am not getting it but when it had finished I felt pretty much nothing.

Loads of people seem to love this film and I can't understand why, it's complete garbage.

Annoying characters Stupid story

Nominated for 11 Oscar's !

WTAF ?!

Gave me a migraine just watching it.

Good luck to everyone who enjoyed it, but this was definitely not my cup of tea.

First review I have ever written on this site in about 15 years of using it.

The film was that annoying that I had to write something.

The most worrying thing is how many people liked it !

Genuinely don't understand how this film is so highly regarded, it's baffling.

If or probably when it wins loads of awards I think I will cry.

Nothing Nowhere Never Ever.

Because it had won best picture, I felt obligated to watch. The start of the movie, the scene in the apartment above the laundromat, was chaotic to the point of making me uneasy and anxious. About 40 minutes in, I literally wondered if viewers were supposed to be high to enjoy it. It didn't evoke any emotions in me, however, at times I did laugh - not with the movie, but at the movie.

Once I commit to watching a movie, I see it through to the end, hoping it will improve and I ultimately become invested in its resolution. But you know a movie is total trash when someone in this household says, "let it play," before leaving the room. It was a colossal waste of time.

I wish I could lend my eyes and ears and my mind to the ones who didn't quite grasp this movie so they too could see how every single scene in it is a marvel.

One guy in a review below misses the entire point while debating the complexities of a multiverse. How do you explain a movie ike this to someone like that? You can't.

It was everything everywhere all at once. Sometimes too many things, too many places at once and you can get lost, but it helps to focus on things.

Obviously, the amazing Michelle Yeoh is one thing to focus on. The whole reason I myself came to see this flick in the first place. Much as this movie gives you to absorb it was easy to keep my eyes on the beautiful Yeoh.

Oh, and the kid from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is in this flick. He's older odiously but he still sounds like the kid form The Goonies. How lucky he was he got to play Yeoh's baby daddy in this joint.

Last and definitely not least it was good to see James Wong in this film. You could tell they most likely made some filming adjustments to assure the 90 something year old actor can do the role but that's what you do when you have legends do your flick.

Speaking of legends, almost forgot about Jamie lee Curtis who seem like she was having fun in her role.

The fact that this movie is about a multiverse I low key was expecting a multiverse connection between who Yeoh plays in this movie, and her character in Shang shi. That would have been cool.

It's interesting that this like the third movie that came out in March that's about the mommy daughter relationship between Asian women. What's even more interesting is how they go in order. Turning Red is about a 13-year-old and Her mom, Umma is about an 18-year-old and her mom and the girl playing Yeoh's daughter looks like she's possibly in her early 20s. Don't know when this became a hot plot in movies, but I will admit I prefer how the story lays out here (but only because I relate more to an Asian woman in her 20s over a middle schooler)

The music in this film is great. The movie was filmed in the context that the story is about a laundromat owner in her mid-life dealing with where she came from and where she's going, but the music actually fits perfectly into the ideal of this woman being the key to saving the multiverse and it made for a lot of the entertainment. Just these big orchestra cues that make it sound like I'm watching Dune contradicting, the image of Yeoh being a worn-out blue-collar mom. Spectacular!

I say it's good. It's all over the place and it can be a handle to process, but it has a good cast to concentrate on.

Rarely does a movie hit me hard and I go along for the ride. Every moment has a spectacle to it. Even the simplicity of having your taxes done. Often silly, mostly confusing but entirely entertaining. It was great to see Short Round back on the big screen with a very glamoured down Michelle Yeoh as a married couple on the brink of fracturing a family unit.

The story is of, Evelyn, a woman who has never really committed to much in life. She has many interest but many where she isn't fully invested in. In this case, her family lives above the laundromat that is failing. They are being audited, but yet she has big dreams to expand her enterprise. Her husband (the fore mentioned Ke Huy Quan) Waymond, is a kindly follower and believer of his wife who seems to focus more on the bad than the good. Pessimist, if we are to be formal. It is the Chinese New Year, and many people are invited to celebrate with this family, including a Grand-Father who is labeled as a man set in his ways and wouldn't understand the same-sex relationship of his grandaughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu). What follows is a grand adventure, first at the IRS building (of all places) and eventually to distant alternate universes to which shows her the way her life may have gone had certain things didn't take place. I absolutely loved the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis plays the uptight auditor, who seems perfectly fine in the core universe to which all revolve around. Evelyn, on the other hand, taps into her other universes to gather the skills needed to fight a fracture in the timelines that sneak into her mundane life.

Yes, there is a message here. And...to be honest, it nearly derails the film itself. But it was required to tie in the meaning of everything that is going on. That we are made of experiences of every universe that exists out there (if you believe in metaphysics) and that they road you didn't take, through gained experiences, with some that even was more enticing then the present one, means we would never have known our other lives. Children wouldn't be born, love would be lost, relationships move on. It is the grand question of whether or not if we got a glimpse of that road we didn't take, would it all mean anything. In this case, I say it almost derails because the universes effect one another. And in this story, it even bridges them. Which to some, may feel like a cheat. However, the fact that I even ask this question makes it a vastly interesting story. That is for you to decide.

The movie is exciting, vibrant, energetic and feels absolutely unique. It allows the viewer to slowly tie the ends together, and perhaps sometimes gets too far ahead. But doesn't let you lose yourself too much. What it isn't is boring. It is captivating and fresh. And, look, who can hate a scene of people being beaten with rubber phalluses?

That said, it is one of the most interesting movies of 2022 and hopefully stays in the minds of awards in the future. Because it deserves a bigger audience. These are the types of fun, philosophical questions buoyed by comedy that we need.

I go back to Ke Huy Quan. This guy can do funny and also bring a tug to your heart so easily. It's so hard to imagine him as the little boy from "Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom" because, here he shows so much range. His natural charm is shown through his love for Evelyn. He seems to be suffering through a fracture himself. He plays many roles here as well. Because, in many universes in life, the theory here may be that we will run into people we are meant to run into regardless of choices. That's a very romanticized view on the universe.

Kudos to The Daniels for their talent and joy of cinema. It would not surprise me if they helm a larger film in the future. Perhaps they can re-vamp a comic book franchise into something much more unique.

Thank you for this movie.

Having seen countless raving reviews about this movie both on IMDb, and even more so on Twitter, I thought "damn, I have to go see this ASAP". I went in expecting something incredible, movie of the year standard, but wow was I disappointed.

Literally 75% of the movie is fight scenes, like okay it was cool at the start but 2 hours in and still?? 'Everything Everywhere' is perfect for people with a short attention span because there's always something ridiculous going on. I understood what they were trying to do with the plot but honestly nothing stuck, it just felt shallow.

Don't get me wrong it's not a bad film, but it's nowhere near these 10/10 reviews that's being advertised.

What better, more urgent message can a film have these days? What's so uncool about movies with messages anyways? Sometimes we desperately need them. I read a couple of reviews lightly mocking any attempt to find deeper meaning amid all the silliness, as if there wasn't enough already on the surface. What if we stopped equating tiny with insignificant? What if the more minuscule we discovered ourselves to be, the LARGER our world became, and the more SIGNIFICANT we felt? So it's not surprising that Daniels take us on the most inventive, overstuffed, relentless journey only to land us in the simplest, most heartfelt of places. That's the real judo-move here -- an infectious, goofy sweetness that extends even to the (hundreds? Thousands?) of action set pieces. Anyone can dimension-hop and fight the baddies. This combination of heart and spirit is the Daniels own. Also, for anyone who's putting together the next time capsule of human civilization, please consider the scene of Michelle Yeoh and Jaime Lee Curtis dancing with wiener fingers.

There's a point here where we are swept up in sensory overload, where so much stuff is thrown at us that we tune it out. I reached a point about two-thirds through this where I couldn't get my mind back in it. Have we reached a point where we have no expectations of a conclusion. When one has someone playing multiple characters in multiple settings, there needs to be something tying it together. The protagonist needs to be someone we identify with who has wishes and hopes that lead us on. She seemed as confused as the storyteller and the husband. I guess I'll read some more about this film and hope with guidance to try to figure it out a bit. Obviously, all these universes and all this actions (way too much battling in my estimation) are leading somewhere. I thought the film had ended about six times. I don't mind being brought back in, but I wish I understood where we just landed. Yes, there is a lot going on and it is violently splashed on the screen. But I ended up exhausted and unsatisfied.

There's really something for just about everyone in this movie. It's part Kung-fu action, part absurdist comedy, part cerebral sci-fi, and part indie family drama. I think this is an instant classic that uses the art of cinema and movie-making to it's fullest potential.

They really throw everything AND the kitchen sink at the wall and somehow it all sticks and becomes a really fun and really special film that I would recommend to pretty much anyone.

Michelle Yeoh is fantastic as is the whole cast. The writing and direction is phenomenal and innovative and creative and it features of the best editing I've ever seen. It's a really wild movie, but if you sit back and absorb it, I think you'll have a good time.

This film almost unanimously received praise from both critics and audience alike. People even exaggeratedly rank it as one of the greatest films ever or the best they've ever seen. Going into this movie, my expectations were really high And I really wanted to be part of the majority who loves this movie. But unfortunately the opposite happened and I didnt like it. While I appreciate that this movie was made on a relatively small budget and managed to get some things right as it had so much potential with its strong female lead, philosophical component and some good action to move it along. But it fell really short. It is long and meandering. Visually confusing, thematically unoriginal. The first half was repetitive, boring and also quite silly. Half of the time I don't know what are they fighting for or what the heck is going on. And what was supposed to be the multiverse just felt like the characters were wearing silly different costumes. It is not until the last act that things of relevance happened. The performance from the cast was great though.

A lousy movie. The underlying themes are the best there are but are used in a way that is nothing short of shameful. Two and a half hours of pure dementia, arrogance and useless effects without any substance. I wonder how this film can be considered as the best of the first half of 2022. A waste of time, health, expectations and enthusiasm. Garbage.

Nihilism explored in such a perfect, creative, mind-boggling and hilarious way.

I walked out of the theater feeling elevated in a way I've never experienced from a movie.

I'm not a wordsmith and have never left a movie review, but this movie deserves it. People need to know how amazing it is!

To everyone involved in bringing this movie to life: Thank you.