What am I to make of Everything Everywhere All at Once’s huge victory at the Oscars on Sunday? As expected, the film was the night’s big winner. Seven awards, including Oscars for best picture, best director, best actress, best supporting actress and best supporting actor. Congratulations to the winners. My only problem is that I watched part of the movie and walked out. I deemed it trash.
If you have not seen the film, don’t. It is described as a “gonzo adventure of a Chinese-American laundromat owner grappling with an IRS audit and interdimensional attackers.” The film is technically science-fiction but also could be described as a light-duty martial arts movie with gratuitous gun violence as a bonus. I describe it as a tedious two- hour long Saturday Night Live skit gone wrong.
My views, I suppose, reflect the fact that I am not a teenager and, until last night, naively assumed the purpose of the Oscars is to recognize excellence. Everything Everywhere now will take its place next to Citizen Kane, The Godfather, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Schindler’s List, Moonlight, Casablanca, and It Happened One Night. Somehow these and other more serious firms have been degraded. Their Oscar wins seem less impressive.
What happened? For one thing, Everything Everywhere generated interest as a film with a largely Asian cast. (Michelle Yeoh is Malaysian.) A story in the Sunday New York Times reported “Asian actors have been nearly invisible at the Oscars.” That’s a true statement, a failing that demands correction. But was giving Everything Everywhere seven Oscars the way to address the problem? With apologies to the film’s winners, I would have preferred the Oscar academy to wait for a better film.
If you haven’t seen Everything Everywhere, prepare for what might be charitably described as “a challenging experience.” What the film is about is not immediately clear. Whether the movie is a comedy, science fiction, a martial arts film, or some sort of avant-garde art film is not clear. The acting is good, but, given the chaotic storytelling, it is difficult to judge whether it is great. And the special effects, apparently necessary for the “battle to save the multiverse” part of the film, are second class.
One part of the film, the initial confrontation between the IRS agent played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh, is particularly Saturday Night Live-like. Curtis, barely recognizable, portrays the IRS agent as a mentally ill bureaucrat. I wonder whether the union representing IRS agents (and other federal employees) will complain.
I like Jamie Lee Curtis and am happy she won an Oscar, but giving her the award was a slap in the face to other actresses in the category of supporting actress. Angela Basset, who clearly expected to win, did not rise when Curtis’ win was announced. I do not blame her. I don’t know whether Bassett deserved to win, but it is hard to imagine that she didn’t deserve the award more than Curtis.
I also watched Steven Spielberg as he sat through the awards ceremony. He knew his autobiographical film, The Fabelmans, wasn’t going to win. His image was flashed when Everything Everywhere’s win was announced. You could imagine him wondering what he has to do to ever win another Oscar. The academy owes Spielberg, and a lot of other people, apologies.
The Fabelmans is a great film. I recommend it. I also recommend Tár, the Kate Blanchett film about a troubled classical music conductor. Blanchett deserved to win the best actress award. Tár was serious filmmaking. Apparently that no longer is enough to win an Oscar.
One other award, one not given to Everything Everywhere, is worth mentioning. Brendan Fraser won the award for best actor. I can’t say he earned it because I haven’t seen the performances of all the other nominees. I noted, however, that The Whale won for the best make-up. Brendan Fraser plays a morbidly obese man. When the make-up award was announced, we learned that much of Fraser’s makeup was “digital.” Does that mean that we were watching some sort of special effect as opposed to Fraser? That is a question worth asking, even while recognizing Fraser’s performance as a great one.
It is too early to say I will not tune into next year’s Oscar ceremony, but chances are that I will not.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and other subjects.
Charles Browning says
Please do us all a favor, and don’t “tune into next year’s Oscar ceremony”.
Everything Everywhere All At Once was not so much aimed at young viewers as it was toward viewers with a sense of imagination. A sense that life might hold endless possibilities. A sense, perhaps, of joy.
Lighten up.
John Dean says
Thanks for reading the piece. I guess I don’t know that many people “with a sense of imagination.” I glad you liked the film and found merit in it.
I don’t think I am capable of “lightening up” enough to like Everything Everywhere. . .
Francine De Sanctis says
Thank you for speaking out on something I have long believed and that the awards have been reduced to a reflection of current events and not awarding achievements in craft. The monolog was tedious and sometimes insulting. And the obvious omissions made
memorializing actors who have died, showed a complete lack of sensitivity to their families. All in all an underwhelming tribute to the movies.
Patrick Hornberger says
I’M STILL in a state of non-belief. The award-winning Everything Everywhere (and everything weird) has to be the worst movie this year – not the best. No narrative, no real plot, unrelated special effects, and unrecognizable acting talent due to the various character’s bizarre roles.
And Mr. Dean is spot on – The real shame is such junk takes away from those that should have won. How the academy can overlook today’s best actress, Cate Blanchett, in one of her most challenging roles is beyond comprehension. Actress Yeon in a “dramatic role” – really, that was dramatic?
After last year’s stupid slap on stage, the Academy is going further to follow the American credo of the let’s dumb down this industry – it might sell more tickets = $$$.
I might mention that Citizen Kane did not win the Academy Award that year -but will anybody remember “Everything”?
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece and for your comment.
And thank you for pointing out my error. I should have double-checked before mentioning Citizen Kane in the piece.
Mary Boyles says
Good Grief! As my students used to say, oh so many years ago, lighten up. Academy members cast their votes using their criteria. Their organization, their awards!
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece.
You are the second reader that has advised me to “lighten up.”
Maybe I should take your advice but, on the other hand, I could say, “Good Grief! Writers write their opinions using their criteria. My article, my opinion.”
I won’t tell you to “lighten up,” but will thank you again for reading the piece and commenting.
Natalie Ettenger says
I couldn’t agree with you more. I actually turned it off halfway through. I only turned it back on when I realized I was watching something I had already seen. So I saw it to its conclusion. I did not recognize Jamie Lee Curtis. It was only when I read the reviews that I realized it was her. I would much rather have seen Too Gun the winner. I consider that I lost 2 1/2 hours of my day lost.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece.
I have been surprised at the number of people who not only liked the film but thought it was great. Maybe I missed something, but if I have, I haven’t found it yet.
Kate LaMotte says
While I love “imaginative” movies (Big Fish is one of my all-time favorites), I gave up on “Everything” about 45 minutes in … maybe because it was on tv (?) the audio was so muddled it was intermittently incomprehensible, which made following the plot difficult even though I’d read a bit about the film in advance. I also tired of the fight scenes … and the special effects that went from jarring to exhausting. While I’m not suggesting that Everything deserved no recognition, two 2022 films that deserved at least some for being masterful (in completely different ways) were Spielberg’s The Fablemans and Jordan Peele’s Nope (this latter also wildly imaginative); I saw them both in the theater, but think they’d also hold up on the small screen.
Bob Rietz says
I agree with the author and Maria. It reminds of emptying the refrigerator for a makeshift meal. How did Banshees of Inshierin get ignored? Eight noms with no wins?
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. Much appreciated.