Case for Best Picture: ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

In April of last year, my grandma and I walked into a full theater to watch one of the most influential movies of 2022. We could barely find a place to sit before the movie started and as soon as it did, I knew that it would be a life-changing experience. The audience gasped, laughed, and cried with each other. It was the first movie since the Covid-19 pandemic that reminded me of the beauty, joy, and unique experience that only watching a film in theater can provide.

The director duo, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert, dreamt up a universe of hotdog-fingers, googly-eyes, and everything bagels that proves not just mind-boggling, but heart-warming. Through its depiction of family relationships, depression, loneliness, and the overwhelming nature of society today, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is able to deeply connect viewers to its heartfelt message about love, empathy, and understanding. Simply put, this movie feels like a breath of fresh air, a warm embrace, or a cup of hot cocoa on a freezing winter’s day. Like no other nominee, it simply deserves to sweep the Oscars, including the trophy for Best Picture.

It is hard not to compare this action-packed multiverse movie with other time-traveling, multiverse-hopping films already out there. When I left the theater, I could not help but think about how much better this movie handled the multiverse than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I also thought about its similarities with “The Matrix.” However, it somehow still felt like a unique story that has never been told before. With lots of creativity and imagination, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is able to be a surprising and genuinely original film. Where else will people find a love scene with limp hotdog fingers? A fight scene swinging dogs, fanny packs, and using buttplug-shaped trophies as weapons? Or scenes representing nihilism as a huge, spinning everything bagel?

Some people — including my grandma — have argued that the movie, although entertaining, is overwhelming. With that said, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a small movie with a combination of new ideas, themes, and experiences that Hollywood has not been able to create in the past few years.

All of these tricks could be easily dismissed if it was not for the heartfelt storyline that keeps this movie tightly wound together. Stripping this movie of the staggering visuals, the intense battle sequences, and wonderful audio composition (think of the stillness of the talking rocks), leaves a simple, wholesome story of family bonding that everybody can relate to.

It is not just the message that makes this film a strong contender. It is also the diverse cast and phenomenal acting of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis that push it over the edge. Lead actress, Yeoh, says it best in an interview with the Associated Press. “We’re a tiny little movie with a big beating heart, without a doubt,” she said. “We had ambitions because we felt that our story just needed to be told. In times of chaos and turbulence, this is a movie about healing. It’s about love. It’s about a very ordinary person — which we all are — who’s given the opportunity to be a superhero with superpowers that are love and compassion.”

When I left the theater, I told my grandma that there are going to be a hundred directors wanting to do the same thing and never be able to pull it off. As the awards season comes to a close and the Oscars grows closer, my hope is that the Academy voters will realize that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has an unmatched cinematic creativity that needs to be applauded. Most of all, this film needs to be acknowledged for its innovative storytelling, its phenomenal visuals, and its unique ambition.

—Staff writer J.J. Moore can be reached at jj.moore@thecrimson.com.