Less is More

I

I jammed in Everything, Everywhere All At Once this afternoon, in between essay writing and the pre TCA launch meeting at The Velvet voiced Linda’s home. The film was what I expected to be honest, a full one, in your face , frenetic romp of movie with lots to say, even more to see and a cast that was clearly enjoying every bleeding moment of their time on screen.
It’s just not for me .
A conventional story started at a cracking pace. Blink and you’d miss half of what was going on. Evelyn ( Michelle Yeoh) is a frazzled owner of a busy laundromat. She is swamped with difficult customers, a mounting tax bill, a lesbian daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) who wants and needs validation, a smiling  cheerful husband ( Ke Hue Quan) who wants a divorce and a demanding , negative father ( James Hong) visiting from Hong Kong 
The family meet up with the IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre ( a hilarious Jamie Lee Curtis) in an effort to sort out their failing business and this is where everything is turned on it’s head and present day characters become superhero alter egos in a parallel existence 
Fart and you’d miss something as the off beat comedy drama suddenly became surreal, absurd, a fantasy based martial art dream like time busting bit of anarchy. 
And that’s when I left it .
Now I know I wasn’t suited to this kind of genre, I placed the above less-is-more clip from Pride and Prejudice as an example of just why I didn’t enjoy it, but I did pick on the films main theme, namely Evelyn being trapped in a life she can’t control or even wished for. 
Michelle Yeoh is a beautiful actress and much of this theme was shared by her to the audience in just a few telling expressions and glances in the very first reel. That would have done me.
She was sublime
But the film took its own narrative path and for some that was challenging, exciting and innovative .
It just sort of bored me . 
I did love the performances though. Quan is genuinely sweet as Evelyn’s hopeful/ superhero husband. 
Jamie Lee Curtis clearly enjoyed herself as the baddie of the piece and Yeoh has that amazing ability to move you with a  mere glance. 
She has an old soul that woman

I did walk out eventually , and I’m sorry but it was necessary , it was a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes for me
I did so want to love it . But I didn’t 





27 comments:

  1. Hear, hear. You've said it better than I did. -Kate PS loved the Darcy clip; hilarious

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    1. I can appreciate that some would love it as it did possess an insane energy which has to be seen to be believed

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  2. "I did so want to love it . But I didn’t..." Exactly the same for me John. Best film my arse!

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  3. More often than not the Oscar winners don't move me.. Most of the time its huh? Never heard of that one and wouldn't feel motivated to watch it..

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    1. Sometimes oscars go sympathy more than deserve
      Sometimes it’s emperors news clothes

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  4. Anonymous10:48 pm

    I almost never watch films. I did, however, watch Everything, all the way through, without getting bored in the middle (at home though, not at the cinema). I thought it was very clever and lots of fun. And it stayed with me for quite a few days after. My (adult) children were astonished when I said I had seen it :-D (I have no impulse to see any more films, just for now!)

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  5. I came out of that film exhausted. The pacing was relentless. My kids absolutely loved it, me not so much.

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    1. Interesting , perhaps it’s a generational thing

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  6. Perhaps it IS a generational thing. I had the same reaction as you, John, and apparently a lot of your commenters -- the acting is great, the plot is clever and original, but the frenetic, non-stop, relentless pacing of the film is just too, TOO much and quite overwhelming after not too long. You just never, ever get a breather. I watched the first half a couple of weeks ago on a streaming service and then just had to stop it because it was giving me a headache. I haven't been back to see the last half yet. Maybe I never will.

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  7. Anonymous12:36 am

    Tina in west oz here. We loved it once we got our heads into the right gear. It's a shame you walked out because it had some really nice moments at the end that you would have appreciated. Jane Austen fans here too, and am currently obsessing about an Austen role playing game called Good Society. My fave play through to watch is a dungeons and dragons mashup called Court of Fey and Flowers. It has everything perfectly Austen in it, all the romance, rumours and misunderstandings, but is queer friendly, and set in the Fey world with added magic. We adore it. The younger generations give me hope.

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  8. I thought that intense moment in Pride and Prejudice was powerful too. Not sure that the other film would appeal to me although I like Michelle Yeo.

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  9. I've been watching it from my bed as I'm off work and had the luxury of pausing it (often!) to go get a hot drink/snack. I persevered with it to the end but yeah, it was weird despite the great acting!!

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  10. Traveller9:36 am

    Excellent review for a film you walked out of.

    I agree that they seemed to throw everything but the kitchen sink at it. I quite enjoyed it but my partner was not so keen.

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  11. From the trailer and clips, I don't see the appeal. The hot dog finger dance thing alone is repellent enough to keep me away.

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  12. Susan Z from across the Pond11:24 am

    I'm with you. I didn't enjoy it. I must have blinked and missed one or two (or maybe more) of those fast moving scenes b/c I was frustrated when I couldn't follow the plot. I simply didn't care about the characters. Once that happens in a film I tune out. However, when it gets tons of critical acclaim and has people fawning over it, I start to feel like I'm not sophisticated or smart enough to "get it." As you say, "Hey, ho."

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  13. I've heard so much about EEAO that I feel like I should see it. Reading about it, the themes fit my own life in very many ways. But...frenetic pace? I've never seen a fast paced movie that I loved...my favorite movies are always the quiet ones which yield up the story gently.

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  14. The Oscar winning film sounds like nonsense to me, like most popular films and fiction books. Fantasy and nonsense seems to be what entertains and engrosses nowadays.

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  15. That's why I no longer go to the cinema. I find, generally speaking, that the films that get all the plaudits are so-so. The little also-rans are usually better, but rarely get noticed by the critics. I don't think I'd last 5 minutes with Everything, it gave me a headache just reading your review! xx

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  16. I think I lucked out because i had it on the DVR and could watch it in pieces. Whenever it got too WTF, I'd pause and then come back to it later. There was a lot going on, a lot thrown at you, so I liked watching it in sections. I have since watched t all in one sitting and really enjoyed it.

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  17. Anonymous1:11 pm

    I saw the movie and called it “ Too much, Too Loud, Too Fast”

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  18. Barbara anne4:01 pm

    It soounds too frenetic for my liking, but would like to see Jamie Lee Curtis.

    Hugs!

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  19. I fall into the "challenging, exciting and innovative" camp. I loved it and laughed at it and kept exclaiming to Dave, "This is like NO movie I have ever seen!"

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    1. And that’s WHY it is an important film….I just couldn’t be bothered

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  20. Anonymous8:39 pm

    Not my genre either….it’s a pity because the actors are admirable. I hate fantasy and sci fi
    We walked out on The Whale , , the self pity and grotesque behaviour of the character was simply too much. Brendon Gleeson more than deserved the AA ford having to act in it
    Still some people thought it was brilliant. When I read the blurb for the film I obviously expected something different
    We are seeing Broker this evening

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  21. I absolutely love Michelle Yeoh and happened to catch this film when it first came out. It BLEW my mind (and I was not on any psychedelics, promise!). Maybe because my own mother and I have never had a close relationship--dunno--but I became very emotional at the film's conclusion. Some of the bits like Raccacooie (sp.?) cracked me the fuck up.

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