On March 12th, 2023, the 95th Oscars award show made history. Blockbusters and art films alike were gearing towards the award of the night —Best Picture. The year held many great contenders: The Banshees of Inisherin, Tár, Elvis, Top Gun: Maverick, All Quiet On The Western Front, Avatar: The Way Of Water, Women Talking, Triangle of Sadness, The Fabelmans, and Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

   With so many frontrunners, with directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, and incredible performances from actors and actresses, it was difficult to tell which film would win. The Banshees of Inisherin won 8 awards at the Golden Globes in January, including Best Music or Comedy Motion Picture. With so many critically acclaimed films nominated, it was a mystery to the audience which would win out. 

   However, Everything Everywhere All At Once, created by arthouse studio A24 and by directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, proved its immense power, winning 7 awards at this year’s Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role. 

   Everything Everywhere All At Once follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who is stuck in the monotony of paying her taxes and running her laundromat. But when a version of her husband Waymond(Ke Huy Quan) from another multiverse tells her that the universe is at risk, she is forced to channel her other selves in order to save it from the hands of the evil Jobu Tupaki (Stephanie Hsu).

   The film released on March 25th, 2022 and turned out to be a smash hit. It was made on a $25 million dollar budget, and earned $73,786,885 domestically and $106,702,207 worldwide. This was huge for A24, becoming the studios highest-grossing film. It appealed to audiences and critics alike, with the film earning a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer and an 88% audience score. The film proved highly relatable, and many identified with the relationship between Evelyn and her daughter Joy and the generational trauma among their family. 

   Michelle Yeoh shines as Evelyn, giving her character ample character development and growth. She portrays each variant of herself flawlessly, and seamlessly transitions from action to comedy to romance to drama like there’s no tomorrow. Her win at the Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role was incredibly deserved, and she made history through being the first Asian-American winner of the award. Her speech can be seen here. 

   Ke Huy Quan returns to acting in Everything Everywhere All At Once as Evelyn’s husband Waymond. He he is truly fantastic, playing numerous variants of his character,  transitioning between them through the click of a button (literally). He provides the action, comedy, romance, and kindness that the film requires, and brought his acting career back with a vengeance. He won the award for Best Actor in A Supporting Role and gave one of the most heartwarming speeches of the night shown here. 

   Stephanie Hsu plays the dual role of Evelyn’s daughter Joy as well as her variant, Jobu Tapaki. Her role brings so much energy to the film, with all of her action and comedy sequences being showstoppers. She also provides a whole unique layer to the film through her arc as a young LGBTQ+ millennial, traveling through the multiverse just to find a version of her mother who truly understands her. Her dynamic with Evelyn provides this film immense mother-daughter family drama and depth and helps audiences connect with their characters. 

   Hsu was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Oscars but lost it to co-star Jamie Lee Curtis. Nonetheless, she was thrilled, cheering her castmates on as the team won more and more awards throughout the night.

   Jamie Lee Curtis plays the role of Deirdre Beaubeirdre, an IRS auditor that is helping the Wang family keep their laundromat open and pay their taxes. She provides a role of incredible comedic value, while also keeping a sense of emotion and heart through her dynamic with Evelyn. Evelyn is able to teach her that she isn’t alone, and just how much love there is in the world. Curtis won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and dedicated her statuette to the entire team of Everything Everywhere All At Once, calling it a collective win. 

Her speech can be viewed here. 

  Paul Rogers edited the film. He created the eclectic and original feel of the film using Adobe Premiere Pro. The film snaps seamlessly back and forth, going from shot to shot with ease and conveying the multiversal feel it aims to achieve. The VFX were incredible, easily comparable to blockbuster films such as Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, and what makes it even more impressive is that the effects were majorly created using Adobe After Effects by a group of 6 people. Rogers won the Oscar for Best Film Editing, and the final product of the film proves just how well deserved the win was. His speech can be seen here. 

   The directors and co-writers, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, put their heart and soul into Everything Everywhere All At Once, and it proved to be their masterpiece. The film is filled to the brim with comedy, heart, drama, and action. Their direction and writing helped shape just how monumental of a film it is. They won the awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture, and needless to say, it was incredibly well deserved. The Daniels were incredibly proud and awed at this recognition, and their speeches can be seen here.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Accepts the Oscar for Writing (Original Screenplay)

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Accept the Oscar for Directing

2023 Oscars: ‘Everything’ wins best picture, is everywhere at Oscars

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a film like no other, and deserves all the recognition and accolades it has received. It is currently showing at the AMC Voorhees 16 theater as a $5 fan favorite, as well as streaming on SHOWTIME.