Everything Everywhere All at Once [2022]
“Every new discovery is just a reminder…
– We’re all small and stupid.”
Hollywood, break out your pens and paper and take some notes. It is difficult to talk about how extraordinary this film is without swearing or yelling. I cannot think of the last time I saw a film and thought “wow, I need to see that again” because the experience is so overwhelmingly positive in so many different ways that I feel I didn’t absorb it all on an initial run.
Dan and Dan’s 2022 release, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is the gold standard by which all modern film should be held. No other film that I have ever seen manages to combine genres, themes, and concepts quite the way this masterpiece does.
More stylish and rambunctious than 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; more approachable but just as weighty as 2016’s A Ghost Story; and more touching, silly, and out of control than 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine... I don’t know that there’s ever been a film quite like this one.
From it’s stunning audio design that combines elements of original music masterfully blended with well-known pieces to create a near constant sound-bed for the film that both drives it forwards, and sets each mood perfectly; to the incredible editing that never leaves the viewer confused or disoriented despite the film’s 100mph start to finish pacing; and the amazing performances of every character in the film, Everything does… well, everything, nearly perfectly.
I’ve reviewed a few movies that I’d put into this category since I’ve started doing this, and they are all very heavy, very obtuse, and very important. What Everything does that is so incredibly impressive, is that it takes the heavier and stranger journeys from A Ghost Story with it’s 5-minute pie eating scene and Nine Days with its somber tone and brown hues, and manages to wrap them up into a shiny, Marvel-esque package without losing any of the punch. This film is absolutely beautiful to behold and laugh-out-loud funny to watch both alone and with others… And yet… it is still going to hit you right in the gut in a way that you may never forget.
While I’m still not sure that I think it’s quite as profound as either Ghost, Nine, or You Won’t be Alone, it is absolutely just as meaningful and the prowess shown in the other elements of the film are what give it a near perfect rating even over some of my favorite films of all time.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is the absolute stupidest movie I have maybe ever seen in my life. It is also one of the most masterfully made, well constructed, creatively envisioned, and perfectly executed experiences that film has ever produced.
Do yourself a favor, and catch this one in theaters before you miss your chance.
“In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”
