Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have left us with a subliminal message amongst a discombobulated script. Yet the message has less of an impact than the quote halfway through the film as Jobu Tupaki (Stephanie Hsu) somewhat discontent, utters "it all means nothing". This hit me so much in fact, that in the end the entire film feels very similar to the thoughts of their main antagonist. I get where they were going, or at least I think I do, we are all just so small and meaningless in the grand scheme of things. A what does it all mean tale; some might say it's a narcissistic way of thinking. The brain moving at hundred miles per hour trying to decipher anything and Everything, Everywhere All At once. Can't people just be content, do we really need to know the answer to everything. Life is so confusing, okay I get it. Did these guys really just throw some post-it notes up in the air about life in general and why we are here? It feels like it! However, at its core this movie is a lot about nothing, it's a fantasy world of vault jumping or whatever they called it, from universe to another universe disconnecting with the one you are in. Each revealing a different version of oneself of what you could be or are truly capable of. It's slightly depressing in parts as it's the idea of never fully being satisfied! I'm not convinced the screenplay is worthy of an Oscar as I feel this is the type of script that could've been rounded up with infinite possibilities. "Just be kind to people" doesn't seem to get the earth shaking beneath my feet and I think I know why. The main issue is there is way too many distractions to take anything meaningful at the end as face value.
The mother daughter relationship is dysfunctional throughout allowing for Jobu Tupaki to become a fierce adversary. The acting is probably the main strength of the film at times keeping us engaged in what would normally feel like a meaningless borefest lacking substance and carrying little weight. Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu both present strong performances alongside Jamie Lee Curtis who wasn't overly amazing, yet somehow grab herself an Oscar. To me Jamie Lee just feels too much like Jamie Lee again. Ke Huy Quan plays Waymond Wang who is shown as a less significant powerless character who happens to have one scene of kung fu. Over than that he is consistent in reminding Evelyn Wang how she is superior and how he believes only she can stop Jobu Hsu. In other words he is like a lost puppy dog with very little redeeming qualities, praying on the success of his wife. It's like the Matrix, this one empowers this time the female lead to a point of over emphasis, all very similar just nowhere near as interesting as when it comes to the final product. By the end of it we know that a mother could have gone any universe and be any version of herself but would rather be in the one she is currently in with her daughter. Touching stuff, do you detect some sarcasm? So do i! Don't get me wrong it isn't terrible just way below what I usually consider as an academy award winning film. So what was the point in it all? Some sort of emptiness whilst trying to figure out the meaning of life is my guess, you tell me?
The mother daughter relationship is dysfunctional throughout allowing for Jobu Tupaki to become a fierce adversary. The acting is probably the main strength of the film at times keeping us engaged in what would normally feel like a meaningless borefest lacking substance and carrying little weight. Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu both present strong performances alongside Jamie Lee Curtis who wasn't overly amazing, yet somehow grab herself an Oscar. To me Jamie Lee just feels too much like Jamie Lee again. Ke Huy Quan plays Waymond Wang who is shown as a less significant powerless character who happens to have one scene of kung fu. Over than that he is consistent in reminding Evelyn Wang how she is superior and how he believes only she can stop Jobu Hsu. In other words he is like a lost puppy dog with very little redeeming qualities, praying on the success of his wife. It's like the Matrix, this one empowers this time the female lead to a point of over emphasis, all very similar just nowhere near as interesting as when it comes to the final product. By the end of it we know that a mother could have gone any universe and be any version of herself but would rather be in the one she is currently in with her daughter. Touching stuff, do you detect some sarcasm? So do i! Don't get me wrong it isn't terrible just way below what I usually consider as an academy award winning film. So what was the point in it all? Some sort of emptiness whilst trying to figure out the meaning of life is my guess, you tell me?