MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Sci-Fi Comedy Adventure/Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tallie Medel, Biff Wiff, Sunita Mani, Aaron Lazar, Audrey Wasilewski, Peter Banifaz, Li Jing, Michiko Nishiwaki/Runtime: 139 minutes

I think it is safe to start this review off by admitting to all of you something that you may or may not know. That being that, as much as it shouldn’t happen, sometimes a slice of cinema that perhaps I should have reviewed at a specific point in time was, for whatever reason, not given my full and undivided attention like it deserved. Hence I will now do something else I’m not known for normally doing. That being that I would like to belatedly apologize to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, for not reviewing it when it came out last year. I say that because without question this slice of cinema is a bonafide cinematic masterpiece to say nothing of genuinely one of a kind. More than that though, this is a slice of cinema that, in any shape or form and as far back as I can recall, has never graced the cinematic art form until it burst on to the scene last year. A film that, may utilize the concept of the multiverse as its key narrative hook, but then proceeds to throw our way seemingly everything (including for once) the kitchen sink in our general direction. As a result, not only we do get a film that barrages our psyche with everything from numerous winks and nods to movies ranging from 2001: A Space Odyssey to (I kid you not) Ratatouille to say nothing of clever and at times genuinely odd asides including people with hot dog hands and a world where people are simply stones that speak via subtitles, but we also get a movie that goes after our senses as well with how it proves to be weird, comedic, riveting, and also very much sincere as well all rolled into one. Suffice it to say then that it might have a few miniscule issues, but with the aid of truly incredible work on both sides of the camera Everything Everywhere All At Once is more than just one of a kind cinema that maybe comes along once every 20-30 years or so. Rather, it is also no more or less than one of the finest cinematic efforts that we were blessed to get in the year 2022 to say nothing of bonafide proof that there is still magic to be mined from them thar cinematic hills yet.

The plot is as follows: Everything Everywhere All at Once gets its genuinely trippy cinematic odyssey underway by introducing us to our main character Evelyn Wang. Ms. Wang, we are rather quick to pick up on, is someone who has been content for some time at just merely treading water in the vast ocean of life rather than strive to attain any degree whatsoever of satisfaction and/or content. A degree of satisfaction, for what it’s worth, that she might have trouble being honest with herself in regards to her lack of success at attaining anywhere close to so far in life. To be sure, she and her hubby Waymond do own a business, a laundromat to be precise, and whilst there may have been something quasi-sorta resembling love when they first got together despite the steep reservations of Evelyn’s rather disapproving dad who she has never had the best relationship to begin with, she now views him as no more than a dweeby simpleton who she has to constantly pick up after. Of course, with how preoccupied she has been, our heroine is also very much unaware that hubby has divorce papers ready to go should their relationship not get better. We also see that her and Waymond’s sole child, a young woman named Joy, is also not only turning into a mirror image of her mom, but is also dating a white woman named Becky. Something that might not be the biggest problem for you or me dear reader, but is certainly something Evelyn and her father are either desperately trying to or view as outright shameful. Worst of all though is the fact that our heroine is desperately in the midst of the worst punishment known to humanity. That being….an audit from the IRS (dun, dun, dun!). Yet on the day that our heroine and Waymond make their way to their IRS auditor’s office for a final “do or die”-style meeting, we see something unusual happen. Something that takes the shape and form of ANOTHER Waymond that very quickly makes his presence known. We soon learn that, somehow, a serious rip has opened in the time space continuum and, as a result, our heroine must now enter other realities in that infamous concept known as the multiverse to help save the day. Thus can our heroine travel through these other universes, some where things are better for her than others, and make the correct choices to not only save the multiverse, but also help her in forming/reforming improved relationships with her loved ones AND come to comprehend who she is as a person better than ever before? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..

Now right off, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this cinematic odyssey is nothing short of phenomenal. This starts with the fact that from a concept point of view, this is one film which should be so bewildering, tasking, and complicated that it will prove to be all but impossible for you, the viewer to create a genuine attachment with both our heroine and the people who make up her family. Praise then should be given to this film’s pair of helmers for showcasing a wonderful degree of talent in how they are able to ensure this collapse doesn’t occur. Yet, even more remarkably, not only do the pair never once lose their grip on the story, but they also manage to do else that is some kind of incredible. That being that, with impressive degrees of both confidence to say nothing of imagination, this film’s helmers are able to ensure that we are constantly synched up with our heroine to the point that not only are we able to be genuinely surprised by the twists and turns that this trip through the multiverse reveals to her, but which also results in the fact that Evelyn’s journey really becomes you, the movie goer’s journey as well. We also see that another wonderful component that the directors of this film have inserted in this film in order to help keep you invested through the 2+hour runtime would have to be a delightfully witty sense of humor that, be it in family banter or part of the jaw-dropping action beats, are sure to provide you with quite a few moments where you will be laughing whilst remaining glued to the edge of your seat in excitement and/or anticipation. Along with that, we see that even though cross-cutting and montages have been around forever plus a day or 4 in cinema, I don’t know of another film that has utilized them like they are here. I say that because this film’s editing department manages to do a phenomenal job at not only elongating scenes due to leap frogging through universes, but also through blending together numerous exchanges into a singular one that helps to redefine everything that had occurred prior to that moment. Yet the almost magical manner in which this film’s crew behind the camera are able to utilize the multiverse to bring forth nuance and emotion to the narrative being told isn’t just limited to such things as the incredible work done by the production design team. Rather, it’s also in how the camera is able to weave through these places and make them all feel like one massive interlinked locale and in how the work done by the cinematography department is able to showcase both each scene in a truly gorgeous manner whilst also utilizing distinct genre formats to ensure that each world we, along with our heroine, visit is truly novel from the rest. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that the musical accompaniment for this film does a grand job at being on-point with every single tone the film operates with whilst also proving to be just as integral to the narrative as everything else. Ultimately though, perhaps the most magical thing about the work done behind the camera on this film is not what the crew has managed to do with the multiversal concept. Rather, it’s the fact that they have managed to make a film that is able to stay with you far longer than you could ever anticipate. I mean not only can you literally see the unfiltered and clear as crystal heart and imagination in every moment of this film’s 139-minute runtime, but in seemingly every way this is one crew that has managed to do things with the cinematic art form that I can honestly say I have either not seen in a long time or that I ever could have imagined possible.

Of course, it also doesn’t hurt this slice of cinema in the least that virtually every single performer in the cast of players in front of the camera is also operating at the absolute pinnacle of their respective abilities. This starts with the work done here by the always incredible Michelle Yeoh and I can safely say that the role of Evelyn is without question a career highlight for her. Indeed not only does this film permit this talented actress to look back on the roles she first succeeded in, but also soar in the roles she never got, and then immerse herself with no reservations into roles that might have made her fans raise an eyebrow in skepticism all in one film. More than that though, I think the key thing that ensures this turn as the definitive everywoman with a touch of Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap is on the level that it is would have to be how great of a job Yeoh does at ensuring that, no matter how lost and fractured her character may be or get during her all-expenses paid trip through the multiverse, we are still able to both view things through her perspective whilst also root for her to hopefully find the happiness and satisfaction that’s been right in front of her the whole time. Suffice it to say it is a phenomenal turn from an actress who has been nothing but her whole career. Alongside the phenomenal work done by Yeoh however, praise I feel must also be given to Stephanie Hsu who is truly wonderful as Evelyn and Waymond’s daughter Joy. Indeed Hsu does a terrific job at giving us a character who, without going into spoilers, is very much someone who is integral to both the overall narrative as well as the majority of the emotion at the heart of the film as well. With those two brilliant turns in mind though, perhaps the biggest delight I got out of this slice of cinema from an acting perspective was the performance given here by none other than Ke Huy Quan in the role of Evelyn’s husband Waymond. Indeed growing up this guy was nothing less than brilliant in his childhood turns as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to say nothing of Data from The Goonies only to then have him tragically and heartbreakingly leave Hollywood shortly after making those movies. Suffice it to say then you can imagine how much of a thrill it was for me to not only see this legit icon from my childhood come back to the screen close to two solid decades later, but do so in a way that is so graceful and majestically done with how he manages to transition from variant to variant of the character of Waymond, be they a sweet yet slightly dweeby father or a butt kicking multiverse-traversing warrior among others, that you’d swear he’d never left. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in the mix top-tier efforts from talents such as the always enjoyable James Hong as Evelyn’s consistently disapproving and domineering father, Jamie Lee Curtis who is nothing short of brilliant as the intimidating IRS agent handling the family’s tax debacle…at least in one universe, and a delightful turn from Jenny Slate among others it is quite clear to me that not only is this film brilliantly cast, but that every single performer manages to bring nothing less than their A-game here and the rests are no less than absolutely stellar in every sense of the word.

All in all and at the end of the day is Everything Everywhere All At Once a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Sadly no. I say this because there are a few teeny tiny missteps scattered about that do prevent that from occurring. With that being said however, does that make this the worst thing to happen to a multiversal film since The Flash’s dismal box office returns earlier this year? Truthfully I would not say that either dear reader. In fact, I would actually make the bold claim that I, however tragically late I am to this particular cinematic party, can now see why there were so many of my fellow critics who put this particular slice of cinema in their “Best Of” lists at the end of the year to say nothing of either the awards it acquired or the giant wave of love it got from even casual movie goers. I say that dear reader because I really do dig the heck out of this movie. With that in mind though, I must confess that I did find it rather difficult to truly sculpt and mold a review for this film. Not because I didn’t want to by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it’s because in a lot of ways attempting to type or pen a review about this particular film really did feel like the cinematic equivalent to me attempting to tell you all about a particular dream that I managed to have the night before. Sure what happened in that particular dream might be some variation of completely and utterly out there to say nothing of maybe a bit on the vague side, or maybe even have a hint of horror to them, but nevertheless they all manage to be things that I feel could be linked to something deep inside myself which I have buried there for a reason. In that respect, it should be said that if you choose to look at this particular slice of cinema merely on the surface level then I have no doubt that what you will find staring back at you is an insidiously engaging, petal to the metal, no holds barred cinematic delight that I have no doubt is going to be one that audiences will enjoy time and time again. On the other hand though, I definitely urge you to dive into the depths of this cinematic ocean. Not just for the phenomenal work on either side of the camera. Rather, it’s because it’s only when you do that do you discover that this is one slice of cinema that has more it’s dealing with than just say apocalypse-enducing bagels and hot dog hands among other distinct items. In fact, I think you could make the argument that this slice of cinema is attempting to deal with everything. A challenge I am happy to say it is, more or less, impressively able to succeed at in quite spectacular fashion. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Everything Everywhere All At Once a solid 4.5 out of 5.