A24’s new sci-fi movie Everything Everywhere All At Once seemingly appeared out of nowhere, but it has quickly become the movie that everyone is (and can’t stop) talking about. Joining the masterful likes of Parasite, The Godfather and Halle Berry’s Catwoman (okay so the latter was critically panned but in our minds it’s high art!), the movie starring Michelle Yeoh has surpassed the former two movies on Letterboxd, becoming the public film review platform’s best rated movie to date. With a score of 4.6 out of 5 stars, the movie from filmmaker duo Daniels — the directors known for Swiss Army Man and that batshit muscle-crotch “Turn Down For What” music video — is reportedly equally as wild, with blood-covered dildos and deadly snot. But it also has a lot of heart and a sweet message at its centre.
Perhaps Everything Everywhere All At Once will be a contender for the Oscars in 2023? We still have a long way to go before then but in the meantime, from critics’ reviews to the international release date, here’s everything you need to know about the internet’s new favourite movie.
What is the plot of Everything Everywhere All At Once?
The movie follows Evelyn Wang, an older Chinese American woman running a laundromat whose business, marriage and relationship with her daughter is falling apart. That is, until she discovers technology that allows her to explore alternate realities, unknowingly created every time she had been faced with a choice in the past. In each of the other universes, Evelyn is thriving. But with the entire multiverse and all existence under threat, Evelyn sets out to save the world.
Who is in the cast?
Bond girl and Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh leads the film as Evelyn, with her husband played by Ke Huy Quan (The Goonies) and her daughter Joy played by the MCU’s Stephanie Hsu. Other cast members include James Hong (Turning Red) as Evelyn’s father, Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) as a tax inspector and Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreation), Harry Shum Jr. (Glee) and Sunita Mani (GLOW) in smaller additional roles.
Who is behind the camera?
Everything Everywhere All At Once is created, written, directed and produced by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known collectively as Daniels, who were previously best known for their music video work with Foster the People and DJ Snake. They were also behind the fart-filled 2016 Daniel Radcliffe movie Swiss Army Man. Alongside them as producers are the Russo brothers (The Avengers) while the distribution has been led by our fave production company du jour, A24.
What have the critics said about it?
While the film has been lauded by Letterboxd users, it’s also received universal acclaim from film critics with Rotten Tomatoes reporting it has a 97% approval rating. Polygon noted that “every moment of Everything Everywhere is an exciting unknown”, also stating that “the cast was stellar”; the Washington Post and Rolling Stone meanwhile, paid particular due to Michelle Yeoh, the latter arguing the multiverse felt like a tribute to an actress as accomplished as she is. The Atlantic, Screen Rant and the Boston Globe also praised the film for giving us all the chaotic goofiness we expect from Daniels, but with, as the Globe put it, a “thoughtful, heartfelt, nuanced story about family and the life that is worth fighting for”.
What are users on Letterboxd saying about it?
Critics might have raved about the movie with professional, muted admiration, but the reviews by movie lovers over on Letterboxd have elevated Everything Everywhere All At Once to the status of greatest movie ever made since the dawn of time. “This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my piece of shit life,” opined actor Bowen Yang, while others considered it “easily one of the top five movies about taxes” and claimed to have “started levitating during the movie”. There was also a lot of love for Jamie Lee Curtis in “the role she was born to play” as well as a lot of thirst for Ke Huy Quan’s dorky hunk energy.
When was the film released in the US?
After premiering at SXSW in early March, the movie has had a limited release in select cinemas since 25 March 2022. It’s done pretty well so far, having the second best limited release since the pandemic after Licorice Pizza. The film had its wider release on 8 April 2022.
Does Everything Everywhere All At Once have an international release date? When will the UK release be?
The film is already released in Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines and will be debuting in cinemas in mainland Europe and the rest of the world between April 8 and the end of the month. You can check iMDb for updates on when the movie will be released in your country here.
And as for those of us living on plague island? In a recent tweet, Daniel Kwan confirmed that the film would be arrive in UK cinemas next month, on May 13. “Sorry for the wait,” the filmmaker wrote. We forgive you, Daniel. But we’d like to see some contrition from the other Daniel, too. It’s okay, we’ll wait.
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