Two Certainties in Life, Movies and Taxes

By Giovanni Ramirez

Have you ever questioned the infinite machinations of the world around you and the possibility of an infinite number of similar yet differing realities that represent every different possibility and path every individual event could have spawned? If yes, you’re reading the right article talking about the right movie. I present Everything Everywhere All at Once, written and directed by The Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many more.

At its most basic level Everything Everywhere All at Once is about a woman trying to do her taxes with an entire “multiverse” thrown on her shoulders. What the Daniels wrote is best described as “a simple story told in an absolutely absurd way.” As you could figure out, the simple story is Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) trying to do her taxes, while the absurd is her being the defender of the multiverse. A regular woman raising to insurmountable odds all while struggling with her regular life, the premise is all too human and all too relatable even though she’s having to deal with a husband from another world. When watching the movie you can expect the most emotional moments with the most unexpected visuals, the most intense action with the most ridiculous of movements, and the most relatable moments in least realistic of events. It’s a rollercoaster of a movie that doesn’t make you feel nauseous at any point.

As a lighter point about the greatness of this movie, the cast does fantastic. It’s important to give them the respect they deserve. Michelle Yeoh is as fantastic as always with her versatility as an actress whether it be action or emotion (never forget the mahjong scene from Crazy Rich Asians). Ke Huy Quan was the man to strive to be (or want) doing an amazing job back in front of the camera. James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis’s roles were fun and well met, but nothing compared to Stephanie Hsu. Stephanie Hsu stole the show. Her performance was unexpected and kept at least my eyes glued to the screen.

Would I recommend Everything Everywhere All at Once to anyone to watch? Absolutely. The movie was fantastic. It was comedic without losing a purpose and sad without being overwhelming. While individual thoughts of the movie could be taken as complex or intense the story is something anyone and everyone could understand. It’s well worth the watch and well worth the time, it was genuinely everything I wanted in a movie.