Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Anything is possible in ‘Everything’
Dear Courtney, specifically, the Courtney sitting through previews at the theater waiting for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to begin,
I’m on the other side of this movie having already seen it, and I figured the best way to prepare you for what you’re about to witness is to send you a letter. We’re both writers, after all. And words are the best medium for communicating our thoughts.
I know you’ve seen the trailers for this film, and you’ve been tracking the score on Rotten Tomatoes every day until your local theater finally got this movie. But let me assure you, there’s no way you’re prepared for what’s coming.
This isn’t simply a story about a laundromat owner named Evelyn Wang ( Michelle Yeoh) who learns to exist across multiple universes, borrowing skills, memories, and emotions from her other existences to fight some great evil.
It is not merely some contender for best movie about the multiverse, competing with the likes of “Source Code” or “Star Trek” or whatever Marvel has or will cook up. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” supersedes these entries because it’s more than a movie. It’s an experience.
And believe me, Courtney, I know how cheesy that sounds, calling something an “experience,” like I’m selling you on some new theme park exhibit. But you’re going to have to trust your future self on this one, because, and I mean this, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” might be one of the most important movies you’ve ever seen.
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It is, in many ways, applicable to the experiences you’re facing in life right now. I know money is a little tight. I know it’s difficult to deal with the tax people who take a piece of everything you earn in life and somehow still tell you, you need to give them more. I know how many days and nights you’re driven to tears remembering that being gay cost you a family, one that simply would not understand who you needed to be in life to find happiness.
And this movie that’s about to start will touch on every single one of those issues and so much more.
You will watch Yeoh give an Oscar-worthy performance as a mother and a wife and a cog in a seemingly-infinite universe trying to fight her way through every obstacle in an endless stream of challenges. She’ll literally fight countless enemies using all kinds of skills from a mastery of kung fu to sign spinning an advertisement for a hot-dog restaurant. Every step in this wild and wacky film will feel intentional in ways you can’t describe.
And you’ll watch Wang’s husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) right there with her, filling a fanny pack with rocks and then beating up a room full of enemies with it. But more than that, you’ll come to appreciate Quan’s heart. He is the soul of this film, embodying a love so powerful it reaches across all of existence.
I know being a journalist has made you a deep cynic in life. The countless awful things you’ve written stories about, videos of people doing terrible things you’ve seen online, and your own frustrations with hateful souls leave you wondering about goodness in the world. But everything Quan does in this movie through his role as Waymond will remind you there are kind people in the universe (or multiverse) whose gentle selfless acts serve as a balance for every darkness that has splintered your faith in people.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is going to make you howl with laughter. It’s filled with ridiculous situations you wouldn’t imagine on your wildest days, from universes with hot-dog people to emotional conversations between two honest-to-God rocks. And oh! How you’ll cry. Because this is a film about a girl so desperate to make the pain stop that she’ll leap into a literal black hole for just an ounce of peace.
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You see, what I mean when I write that this is more than a movie is … imagine how writers compose a scene, dialogue or some action to illustrate a point. Then, when that point is made, the vehicle the writer was using to deliver their point, simply stops. Mission accomplished. But throughout “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the film isn’t satisfied with simply making a point. It has to drive that point so far up your nose that it serves to assault your very senses. And what’s more, you’ll thank the movie for doing it when all is said and done.
About two-thirds through the movie, you’ll be thinking of what you’re going to write in your review, like usual. But put those thoughts aside. Because it’s more than brilliantly choreographed fight scenes, it’s more than a complementary soundtrack, it’s more than a few dazzling performances. It’s more than all of these things, and you need to give this massive experience room to breathe. I promise, as you’re walking back to your car, you’ll be lost in a whirlwind of thought over this event.
I think the most important mission for you after seeing this movie is to advocate for more just like it. And I don’t mean sequels, or other films about multiverses. I’m talking about original and risky stories, the kind of stuff that won’t guarantee success but might spawn something greater.
That’s probably the best lens for you to look through as you watch this movie, Courtney. It’s an experiment. It’s unlikely to make much money, which might discourage Hollywood executives from greenlighting projects like this in the future. But “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a story that reaches far past the stars and will take audiences there within the blink of an eye.
Preach this movie’s legacy. Tell your readers what an impact it left with you, even hours and days after you finished it. Directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert achieved something legendary with this gem, and while too many people who need to see it won’t, you should make it your mission to get everyone you can to witness this work of genius.
There are always going to be franchises, reboots, sequels, and more that work their way into your review pile. But I doubt anything will come close to making you feel what “Everything Everywhere All at Once” did for a very long time.
This film is as touching as it is absurd, and I wish it upon everyone. Enjoy the movie, Courtney. Oh, and try to drink more water. We need it. Sincerely,
Your future self