Everything Everywhere All At Once Review
Three days ago I rewatched Everything Everywhere All at Once, for like the millionth time, in its IMAX re-release. So, after approximately seven viewings, an obsession with everyone involved, and an inauguration to my “Letterboxd four”, does this movie still hold up? Do I still like this film as much as my first viewing?
The answer, is of course, no. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but things change with rewatches. We aren’t watching with the same eyes that we did the first time. So, yes my feelings on this film have changed since my first viewing. I think it’s way better.
Some films merit multiple viewings. Christopher Nolan often receives this notion, with mind-boggling flicks such as Inception or Tenet. Movies with massive twists such as Shutter Island or Fight Club often earn their two-times stripes. This film is confusing, but not to the likes of a Nolan film, where I swear he’s the only one that gets what on Earth he’s talking about. And with no twists to be had, some might question Everything’s rewatch-ability.
The first time I saw this film, it was with my dad in theaters. We both found it to be hilarious and slightly touching. As a special treat, mostly for myself, I dug up my old review. I’ll skip the positives, as those are still the same. Instead, I will focus on the negatives of my original review.
The first knock was that, to quote myself, “Evelyn just kinda figures out how things work immediately (no growth, just a jump.)” That is simply incorrect. We see Evelyn struggle time and time again whilst fighting her enemies, slowly gleaning her abilities and ameliorating her confusion.
The next negative is that “some jokes are run into the ground.” Oh, 15 year old Jack. Because I am granted the pleasure of hating a consciousness with this mistaken movie man, I know what jokes I am referring to. It’s the hot-dogs for fingers and the “rock-world” universes. Hot-dogs for fingers is one of the strangest things that makes me cry in a film. Outside of this, my list is pretty well-accepted. Iron Man dying in Endgame, Bing Bong in Inside Out, Brooks in Shawshank, and, oh yeah, this part where Michelle Yeoh and Jaime Lee Curtis suck each other’s fingers and ketchup and mustard comes out. This movie’s greatest strength is balancing a hilarious narrative with heart wrenching themes. While it starts as a complete joke and evolutionary mishap, hot-dogs for fingers, and the subsequent love between Evelyn and Deirdre, is beautiful. It harkens back to their inner beliefs about themselves. That, in another universe, the so-called “unlovable b*tches” (as Deirdre puts it) find comfort in each others’ presence. Same goes for the rock scene. While it is long, it is the first time we see Evelyn and Joy have a true heart-to-heart. The mother and daughter connect, despite their multiversal differences, and find some common ground.
Finally, I thought the movie was too long. In fact, I said it “overstays its welcome.” Everybody everywhere knows why that’s wrong, and in fact, it could have used a few extra minutes to make it seem more accessible in its concepts. And, if you’re hearing this Ke Huy Quan, you could never overstay your welcome.
Originally, I gave this movie an 8.5/10. (Note, this was before the installation of the Twinkie system, but, lucky for you, the conversion of scale of ten to Twinkie is 1:1.) Fun fact, that is only one half star higher than my original review of Uncharted, a film I have not thought about once since its release. And yet, I still felt compelled to rewatch it when it released on VOD. And I wept.
I’m of the opinion that the most pretentious thing a person can say is that you didn’t like a movie because you “didn’t get it.” However, while I “got this” the first time, I didn’t get all of it. After each subsequent rewatch, it inched closer and closer to that perfect rating, until finally, on February 17th of 2024 it earned 5 stars. I’m picky with calling a movie perfect, but as certain as the sun does rise, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a perfect movie. It took me a while to realize that, but I’ve come to my senses.
I suppose I should review the actual movie in this movie review. I’ll speed run it out of an interest for your time and mine. One thing that stood out in particular this time around was the cinematography, with a particular shot being one of my favorites in any movie I’ve ever seen. The acting is of course, incredible. But you know that. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jaime Lee Curtis all took home Oscars for their performances. While I think that Stephanie Hsu deserved Best Supporting Actress more than Curtis, I cannot say I wasn’t jumping up and down for this under-appreciated actress to finally receive her flowers. This film felt so important to everyone involved, a true, dictionary example of a passion project. The writing, as alluded to before, is legendary. “Laundry and Taxes” in particular is one of the greatest lines I’ve ever seen in a film. The plot is also such a creative way to disguise the story of an immigrant family dealing with a multitude of issues, including a gay daughter and their Americanization. Kudos to the Daniels, who are absolute masters of their craft.
I give Everything Everywhere All at Once the highest honor I can bestow, 10 out of 10 twinkies.