Film No. 33 (2022) April 22nd. 4.00 PM Cinema 5. LUNA, Leederville.
"Now you may only see a pile of receipts, but I see a story. I can see where this story is going." (Federal tax auditor Deirdre enlightens the Wangs' on their book keeping short comings ... there is hidden meaning indeed).
Do you remember when Spike Jonze (Director) and writer Charlie Kaufman took our imaginations into a new realm with the ground-breaking BEING JOHN MALKOVICH? Well, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, better known as The Daniels (SWISS ARMY MAN), bring another high concept film to the screen in the form of, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. So, do they get it right? Yes, reasonably so, but when the message is one of goodwill and kindness to all considering all the strange vagaries of life, the 130 minute run time is long and intensely exhausting. Twenty-five minutes too long for me!
This short review could never tie all the strands of this tangled web of storylines together. The common thread however is Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), the matriarch of the family business; a Laundromat under heavy scrutiny from the Internal Revenue (Tax) Office. Triggered by the stress of family (pending divorce and daughter bonding) and finance (receipt mayhem) pressures, Evelyn's imagination unleashes into new worlds of what might have been. Each dimension depicting a life path she could be experiencing if decision making and circumstances had been different.
Ultimately we are asked the question; should we appreciate life as it is and make the best of what we have by being simply a kinder and better person? But the chaos and violent (purely bloodless) screen-work, no matter which life strand Evelyn pursued, was unrelenting and a little lost on me. My understanding of The Martial Arts and its power over mind and matter (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) was definitely a factor in some of what was lost on me here.
Jamie Lee Curtis continues her resurgence back to the big screen. Considering the glamour roles of her past (PERFECT, A FISH CALLED WANDA), Curtis gives us Deirdre, a dowdy tax agent from hell. With no particular explanation, sausage fingers and all, Deirdre appears in most of Evelyn's alternative lives. Curtis is brilliant. Possibly one of her best ever roles.
If you like living on the edge when it comes to cinema experience and love strong message from film, don't miss EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. It won't disappoint on any of those markers. 9GUMS.
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