EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is an eccentric, deranged journey of a disillusioned Chinese immigrant, who runs a failing laundromat and is in trouble with the IRS, and who must save the world by jumping around the multiverse to find the best version of herself. The movie contains some Christian and redeeming elements such as the importance of family, the power of good virtues and self-mastery. The main character risks her life to save her daughter. Her husband is the epitome of kindness, patience and generosity. However, the movie is marred with pervasive graphic violence, some sexual violence, including a few brief scenes involving bondage, some strong obscenities, and politically correct commentary on homosexual unions. The movie’s excessively bizarre and irrational behavior, along with the false ideology of a sentient multiverse, gives the feeling of almost two and a half hours of a drug-induced psychotic episode. Media-wise moviegoers will want to pass on this one.

Evelyn Wang is an anxiety ridden, disgruntled Chinese immigrant who runs a laundromat. She continuously laments over her poor life choices. She believes she should have followed the advice of her overbearing father to not marry her husband, Waymond. The ever patient Waymond has finally had enough abuse and decides to serve his wife with divorce papers. Meanwhile, their daughter, Joy, follows the neurotic Evelyn around the laundromat trying to make her invite her lesbian partner to a party Evelyn is planning for her very traditional, strict and demanding father. Joy refuses to respect her mother’s wishes of not wanting to upset her father in his old age. Evelyn avoids closeness with Joy with her own busyness. She also dismisses Joy and calls her fat.

Evelyn and Waymond are on their way to report to the battle-axe Deidre at the IRS, a comical role played by Jamie Lee Curtis. In the elevator, Evelyn meets “Alpha Waymond,” a version of her husband who informs her that there’s an imbalance in the universe. She’s the only one who can save the world. However, Evelyn has no skills or talent. For each poor decision she’s made in this life, a better version of herself branched off in a parallel universe. So, now, Evelyn must travel to other universes to connect with better versions of herself to find the skills to fight the great evil, which has become personified in her daughter, Joy.

Joy, Waymond and the villains “verse jump” by acting out in bizarre and grotesque ways. These actions range from romantically professing love to a woman trying to kill her, feeding her father his own nose matter, and jumping on large objects to lodge them in the anal cavity. In one universe, Evelyn is a champion kung fu fighter. As she connects with this version of herself, she gruesomely fights her way through the multiverse. Though instructed to kill her daughter, Joy, to save the world, Evelyn will fight anything and everything to save her.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is true to its name, but the movie incorporates too much material, which ultimately results in chaos. There are some funny moments, but the constant farcical elements will turn off some viewers. Michelle Yeoh, as Evelyn Wang, gives an excellent performance. Also, Jamie Lee Curtis gives a noticeably comical performance of the IRS specialist, Deirdre.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE contains some touching Christian, redemptive and morally uplifting content promoting the importance of family and the value of virtue and self-control. For example, the main character risks her life to save her daughter, and her husband is the epitome of kindness, patience and generosity. However, the movie has a strong false, pagan worldview overall promoting the idea of an infinite multiverse. It also sees the universe as the living creator/power of itself that wills good or bad for humanity. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is also marred with some bloody violence, sexual violence (including a few brief scenes involving bondage), at least 20 obscenities, some marijuana use, and lots of crude, lewd content, including politically correct homosexual references. The excessively bizarre and irrational behavior in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and weird worldview ultimately gives the feeling of almost two and a half hours of a drug-induced psychotic episode. Media-wise moviegoers will want to pass on the pervasive abhorrent content in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.