A24’s latest film takes viewers on a wild, shocking and riveting ride that defies genre convention.
You’re at the IRS. You own a laundromat. Jamie Lee Curtis is the accountant doing your tax audit. Now you’re in a different universe. You’re being told you have to save the world. Your husband eats a tube of chapstick and starts battling everyone in the IRS office, a fanny pack as his weapon of choice. You punch Jamie Lee Curtis in the face. The two of you are fighting, she has a bagel on her forehead. It won’t stop until you confess your love for her. Your daughter is evil, she’s leading you toward a giant bagel.
Suddenly, everyone has hot dogs for fingers. Because they have hot dogs for fingers, activities like playing the piano must be done with your toes. Need to wipe a tear from your face? Toes. Now you’re a rock. Now you’re a rock with googly eyes. You realize how much life is passing you by, how much every little moment counts, you realize you need to repair your relationship with your daughter. You’re the main character in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the latest film from A24, directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert!
Confused? Intrigued? You should be. I went to see “Everything Everywhere All at Once” this week knowing only three things: it’s an A24 release, it has been getting crazy good reviews and on top of those glowing reviews is the same sentiment over and over again, it is the most insane movie anyone has ever seen. Other than that, I went in completely blind. My friend Erika, who I took with me went in even more blind, as she’d never even heard of the film before we went to go see it. I highly recommend this approach. Nothing can possibly prepare you for this movie, so don’t even try.
As the film carried on, Erika and I experienced an incredible range of emotions. There were several occasions where we along with the rest of the audience were laughing out loud, absolutely baffled and thoroughly entertained by what was happening in front of us on screen. Then later, cringing out loud and shielding our eyes from something that we definitely did not expect to see. And by the end of the film, I felt a tear in my eye?
The movie ended, and the two of us sat there motionless, slowly turned to one another, and burst out laughing for another minute or so before we could even begin to discuss what we had just experienced. It left us both speechless.
There is honestly nothing I can say that will capture the essence of this film. You have to go and see it for yourself. The premise is completely wild but somehow absolutely sensical. The characters are convincing and hilarious, as are almost all of their actions. You feel for them, you can’t believe what they’ve just done, you feel like you need to rewind and see it again. The plot is entirely unpredictable and riveting the whole way through.
Once you make it through, a message, or several possible ones do emerge and it is clear that there really is a method to all of the madness. In classic A24 fashion, the movie is not only mind bending and shockingly unique, it is beautiful and so highly watchable. Even though it messed with our heads and completely derailed all of the homework we were supposed to do afterwards, Erika and I agreed that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was incredible, and certainly a must-see.
