#28: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Release Date: March 25th, 2022

Format: Streaming (Netflix)

Written by: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Directed by: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

4 Stars

“The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on.”

It takes Everything Everywhere All at Once two hours to get to this line, but it is the North Star of the story. In opposition to the unrelenting nihilism, depression, anger, and regret that threatens to seep into our everyday lives, the movie has us believe that kindness is the only answer. And the movie works so well, I want to believe that as simple as that answer is, it must be true. 

This is the third time I’ve seen Everything…, but the first time at home, and it’s one of those few “big” movies that works equally well in both formats. In the theater you obviously get the advantages of the big screen and surround sound, and for a movie as visually and sonically as immersive as this one, those are some big advantages. I’m not sure I can name a movie that’s more technically ambitious than this one. Avatar? The Matrix? The Wizard of Oz? 

But unlike most big movies, I found this one works equally well at home on my 40-inch Samsung. Why? I could give myself fully to the dramatic and emotional aspects of the film. I had tears streaming down my cheeks for the last hour of the movie, it’s that beautiful of a film. This is not an action movie or a martial arts movie. This is a movie about a family and about kindness. You don’t need a 20-foot screen for that.