Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr.,
James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis
Upon the release of
Swiss Army Man
in 2017, I felt very alone in my dislike for that intolerable one-joke
movie, as everyone else seemed to be raving about the film. With their
follow-up, Everything Everywhere All at Once, directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known
collectively as "The Daniels") have once again left me scratching my
head.
As someone who can't tolerate quirkiness and toilet humour,
Swiss Army Man was a tough watch, as it's essentially one
big quirky fart joke. The Daniels' sophomore effort thankfully isn't
quite as sophomoric as their debut, but it's still let down by a
juvenile sense of humour that jibes with the adult themes it sets out to
explore.
Mothers want their kids to be safe and kids want their mothers to be
happy. What's most affecting about EEAAO is how it feels
like filmmakers sending their mother on a metaphorical holiday through
their work, while also showing an appreciation for mothers, warts and
all.
Played by Malaysian screen legend Michelle Yeoh, Evelyn Wang is
a mother with a lot of metaphorical warts. She's cold to her husband,
Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, best known for his roles in
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and
The Goonies), who is set to ask for divorce; she disapproves of her daughter Joy's
(Stephanie Hsu) homosexuality; and she greets the sight of a
Jewish woman (Jenny Slate) by commenting on the size of her
nose.
We find Evelyn in a state of frustration brought on by a tax audit for
her launderette business and the arrival of her elderly father (the
immortal James Hong) from China. Evelyn struggles with her father
because she knows he finds her a disappointment, but she can't see the
irony of her own attitude towards Joy. Two plus hours and several
multiverses later, Evelyn will have learned a lesson or two about life
and happiness.
The multiverse is introduced at the tax office, when an alternate
version of Waymond appears and delivers the first of many expository
speeches about how the plot functions. Much like the recent
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it all feels like it's being made up on the fly, and it's odd how
much both movies feel inspired by the largely forgotten '80s sequel
House 2, with its constant jumping back and forth between dimensions.
The Daniels display a love for East Asian cinema with fight scenes
inspired by classic era Jackie Chan and one particular universe where
Evelyn and Waymond are the dashing but doomed lovers of a Wong Kar-wai
romance. Other universes betray their reliance on lowest common
denominator humour, with tired gags about dildos, anal penetration and
S&M that feel incredibly conservative and outdated. If you're like
me and can't get onboard with this sort of thing, it feels like the
movie is poking you in the ribs and asking "Isn't this just mad? Aren't
you having fun?"
It's testament to Yeoh's talent that despite her glamorous reputation,
she becomes a relatable avatar for everyone's mum. Every now and then
the Daniels will pause the onslaught of quirkiness to put Yeoh centre
stage, and she delivers a remarkably moving performance that will have
everyone in the audience wondering if their own mother is living the
life she really wants.
