Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L to R: Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, James Hong – Photo Credit: Allyson Riggs)

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that human beings as a whole… spend the vast majority of their lives just… searching. Searching for happiness. Searching for recognition. Searching for connection through friendship and love and of course, we search hard to finding meaning and purpose in this life. For we firmly believe that if we can obtain all of those things… we will know peace and pure fulfillment and we are so eager to enjoy that kind of calm, that we have taken the time to painstakingly figure out a specific path to obtaining it. One where we work extremely hard to achieve wonders in our chosen career field and where we search for a partner that compliments us and helps us to raise a perfect family, and well… this is a path that clearly has some merit.
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For a great deal of people in this world, follow it, and find the fulfillment and peace they so desperately seek, and they in turn pass it along to their children… allowing for it to thrive. But while it is wonderful to know we’ve figured out a ‘meaning of life’ of sorts, what’s unfortunate about this path… is that we rely on it so heavily and put so much of our faith into its success, that we struggle when failures arrive on the road to true happiness. And to complicate matters further… no one addresses the fact that it doesn’t work for everyone, and no one has a clue what we are supposed to do, when the path fails us. And it is that latter problem that is top of mind today because there is a brand-new motion picture in theaters that addresses that all-important conundrum in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a woman named Evelyn Yang that has followed the path to a tee and hasn’t enjoyed its spoils in the slightest. For despite owning a laundromat and working hard to make it a success… there’s a lien on it. And despite settling down with her husband Waymond and having a daughter named Joy… Waymond is pondering upon divorce and Joy can’t stand her. Not to mention, Evelyn’s father sees her as an utter failure as well, and what’s worse, is that she and her family now have to answer to the IRS, and when we catch up with her, here… she’s in the midst of her audit and that’s when something incredible happens. In that, Evelyn is introduced to the wonder of the multiverse, and with good reason. For an evil force is moving quickly to remove her and every other Evelyn from the multiverse, and if she doesn’t shake off her worries and her failures and her doubt to combat this coming storm… evil will reign supreme across countless worlds and her time in this one… will come to an end in a hollow manner.

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Which is a plot that quite frankly, does not appear to speak at all to more philosophical notions and concepts revolving around how we find happiness and fulfillment when traditional paths have failed us, and for a fair chunk of the movie’s running time, it appears as though those concepts won’t be broached in the slightest. Since the story is also filled to the brim with fascinating science fiction concepts to explore regarding the multiverse, and it also features some grand homages to the golden age of Martial Arts themed films courtesy of some incredible and beautiful fight sequences. Plus, the multiverse element, allows for some stunning humor to play out. The kind that involves a very unique… hot dog related evolutionary path for humanity and an interesting use of unfortunately shaped awards. 
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But beyond the stunning visuals and laughs and detailed exploration of the multiverse, the answers we seek to that poignant question are present within the framework of this film and well… what it has to say about finding happiness and fulfillment when the traditional route of finding it fails us, is fascinating and powerful to say the least. For this movie informs us that we shouldn’t view ourselves as failures or outliers in that instance. Instead, we should take a moment and look at our lives objectively, and what, and who we have surrounding us in the moment. For only then we do see that we likely have exactly what we want, and that we likely obtained it in an unconventional manner and that epiphany will bring us the peace we seek. And if by chance our hyper fixation may have caused harm to those that matter to us or kept certain goals at bay, it is never too late for us to change and open up to accept the gifts we’ve been given… or apologize and mend a damaged relationship.

Which are observations that make this a meaningful and beautiful film when all is said and done. One that uses distraction and deflection to stealthily teach us about the majesty of life and the importance of living in the moment and appreciating what’s right in front of us. Because that is how you remove the worry and the stress, and the outright stigma of having to follow a specific path to happiness, and it also doesn’t hurt… that this movie is a wild ride through and through. Because you can never go wrong with a story that takes your breath away with incredible visuals or leaves you doubled over with hearty laughter. Plus, it is also a wonderful thing that this movie features a predominantly Asian cast and feature’s themes that speak to Asian culture. Because diversity matters and other voices need to be heard. So, if you’re in the mood for an unconventional and downright original film that both entertains and teaches… then swing by your local multiplex and give this refreshing gem a look. You’ll be glad you did.

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