Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24, 2022 science-fiction action dramedy)

I thought the movie was nonsensical but original and that’s good. The acting was first rate and Quan deserved that Oscar win.

 

I think well directed satirical comedy was Martin Scorsese’s “after hours.” Now that was as weird as it got yeah characters like Terry Hatcher’s also had some real soulful acting. Short round was good

 

Watched it last night. A mess. 15 minutes or so in total was intriguing but ..oh another fight scene...and another...

The future of cinema? I'd invest elsewhere.

 

Loved the sausage fingers (up to a point and as for the butt plugs.. ). However, well done to Jamie Lee Curtis! It's been a long journey from Halloween, The Fog, Terror Train, Prom Night, Road Games etc.

 

It has moments that might make some squeamish - as mentioned above, the inclusion of buttplugs as a plot device, for instance.

But it's not a comedy, really, much less a gross-out comedy.

 

Yes, it was nice to see someone whose career revolved largely around "genre films" get recognition.

Though I guess "EEAAO" is a "genre film" too - it's just whacked out and it comes with more pretensions than usual.

 

There was a point in the movie where I felt there was too many action scenes, so for those who turned it off early, just stick with it. By the end it won me over and the previous excessive action made sense. Now I can't even watch the cast talking or the many many audience reaction youtube videos without getting hit in the feels. Everyone goes on and on about

Spoiler

"laundry and taxes"

but for me the best part was Waymond's plea for kindness and as an effective visual

Spoiler

"the rock falling down the cliff towards the other rock."

It felt similar to Robin Williams character in What Dreams May Come promising to stay with his wife in her self-made hell.

All this said, the movie did seem to go on too long. The editing is fantastic in scenes but there are points in hindsight I would have trimmed. But hey, it was only the (now Oscar winning) editor's 2nd movie!!!!!!!!!!

 

As for the acting wins, show me another nominee that played so many contrasting parts in the same movie AND did drama, romance, comedy, action and in Jamie's case something resembling horror. They deserved it. Stephanie vs. Jamie is a toughie, but Jamie did have some of my favorite moments and in a pint sized way stole scenes whereas Stephanie was slightly hampered by some scenes that I felt went on too long. Judging a supporting character by the amount of time they had seems backwards, if they can support and kick butt in minimal scenes then that is more impressive.

 

I've watched the film many times now, and it made complete sense to me by the second viewing. Now
I watch just to appreciate the performances by the entire cast, and of course especially Michelle Yeoh.
A simply stunning performance.
You are correct about the youtube "first viewing" videos. It's fascinating seeing all of them reacting to the film,
especially the girl and guy ones, where they laugh at the funny parts, and then cry (sometimes sobbing) over the
ending of the film. I wind up joining them by tearing up as they show those terrific scenes.

 

Nice post, but I sort of want to challenge the "artsy" recognition. The Oscars often love "artsy" films like The Artist and Birdman. What I love about EEAAO getting the win is not that it is "artsy" but that it is also a genre film. Kung fu got some recognition before with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but that was because it was more of an "artsy" drama. However, EEAAO is kung fu, sci-fi and comedy. That mixture is as big a no no to Best Picture as Horror, and no, Silence of the Lambs barely counts. I love all the acting wins because these are genre actors, not people who were trained on a bunch of plays and studied "the craft." Nope, these were people who jumped into popcorn films and learned as they went.

I'm hoping this movie winning opens the way for cross-genre films that are NOT mainly dramas. My life is mostly a drama, I don't go to the theater to watch a variation of my life, no, I want something to escape into. IMO Drama is one of the worst genres if followed to the letter, because usually the point is hitting the nail on the head. Genre films are able to carry sub-text in a much less obvious fashion. Horror in particular does this without really needing to discuss it. Is it any wonder that ghost girls getting revenge took hold in a country where there was a long past of girls being mistreated or even murdered at birth because of their gender? No, Ringu and Ju-On don't need to discuss it, because the point is there no matter what.

 

Thing is, had this film come out 4 years ago...would it have even got a mention?

 

This blooper reel was posted yesterday, and it's hilarious. They obviously had a blast
during filming, and seeing the entire cast cracking up, etc. is priceless. And seeing Ke
using the F word, and Michelle's response to it is terrific.

 

Great stuff. I'm assuming there is commentary on the bluray which I intend to seek out, which is odd for me to want in a modern film. Usually modern commentaries are just "he's great, she's great" lip service but this shoot is one where I can believe they care about each other and the project. How unreal that they managed to have a good time and goof off in a 38 day shoot.

Apparently Michelle cussed at an awards ceremony (maybe a speech) and she later claimed she doesn't cuss and it was Jamie's influence.

 

Yes, that was at the SAG Awards, it was unusual for her, but I think it was a call out to
Jamie Lee Curtis. (It's about half way through her speech).

 

There's so much to the film, that I don't think anybody can get all of it the first time. Yeah, it's probably ADD/ADHD, but it really rewards multiple viewings. I don't think the successful "Wong Kar Wai" Waymond's speech really hit me until the third viewing.

I don't know if some folks are really comfortable with massive changes in tone in a film, going from comedy to action to drama in the space of a couple of minutes.

 

Yes, I'm starting to get bored with those that say "I didn't like it because it doesn't make sense". Watch it several
times and it makes complete sense. Reminds me back in 1968 with all of those who said the ending of "2001"
made no sense. Of course it made sense, but most movie goers want to be spoon fed easy to understand film.
But good/great science fiction is NEVER like that.
At any rate, the performances by the four main actors (plus James Hong) is what makes the film one of the best in recent film history.
And I'm glad that Michelle Yeoh is now recognized as one of the greatest actress' in recent memory.

 

My favorite part is still the two rocks talking to each other.

 

I really liked it and my hats off to them for the originality and creativity. I think if you strip away all the silly comedy, martial arts action, bizarre multiverse weirdness what you are left with is basically a very touching story of generational trauma between a mother and daughter and their attempts to communicate and reconcile it before something really bad happens. The filmmakers could have told the story without all of that stuff but I wonder if it would have gathered the same level of interest.

 

I watched it last night. Yes, its a confusing first-watch, but the performances, ambition -the risk-taking and heart of the story are all exemplary. I'll probably watch it again to see if a bit more sinks in. A movie that tries something quite different deserves some kudos for that fact alone -everything else is gravy.