A raccoon wields a teppanyaki chef as a puppet. A moment of intimacy between two women who express themselves with sausages instead of fingers. A giant portal device shaped like a butt plug opening to parallel dimensions. A rotating bagel symbolizing nihilism. Smart rocks chatter telepathically. Choreography features dildos and swordfish soaring through the air. The most striking aspect of Everything Everywhere All at Once is not these surreal images alone, but the sheer mass phenomenon their presence has become. The film wins seven Oscars in 2023 while proudly carrying its green-dog status with infectious joy.
The movie has become an undisputed favorite and the eleventh most nominated film after sweeping awards across numerous ceremonies in recent weeks. It defies easy categorization: part fiction, part comedy, part martial arts spectacle, and part surrealism, with a tonal swing between biting humor and heartfelt emotion.
Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known collaboratively as the Daniels, are not widely recognized by name alone. Their previous feature was the cult hit Swiss Army Man (2016), which cast Daniel Radcliffe as a dead, animated companion. This film features no household stars, yet the title itself draws attention. The premise centers on a Chinese immigrant who runs a laundromat with her estranged husband and struggles to connect with her daughter as she confronts a looming threat to the multiverse, prompting the question: what is the secret behind the film’s sweeping success?
The film’s broad triumph at the upcoming ceremony could play a pivotal role in reshaping the Academy’s public image.
The journey of Everything Everywhere All at Once began quietly. It premiered in the United States in a limited release set of ten cinemas and gradually expanded to thousands of theaters domestically and internationally. Its box office performance surpassed the $100 million mark on a modest $25 million budget, a testament to the power of word of mouth and social media. Viewers on platforms like TikTok shared emotional praise, often in tears, inspiring others to discover the film for themselves. Explaining its appeal in simple terms can be elusive, yet the momentum was undeniable.
The film truly lives up to its title. At 140 minutes, it introduces more novel concepts than many other major Hollywood releases in a single year. Its storytelling synthesizes multiple narratives, each with a distinct voice, while borrowing a concept popularized by superhero cinema—the existence of alternate universes—and weaving them into a meditation on family bonds, generational gaps, immigrant identity, depression, the weight of the past, and the search for meaning. How such topics resonate within a working-class Asian American family may lie at the heart of its resonance and success.
Hollywood soon recognized that the film reflects more than a specific demographic. It follows a cultural moment after the successes of films like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians, and continues a thread of Best Picture winners that have broadened the screen’s cultural vocabulary. Yeoh and Quan’s performances punctuate this evolution. Michelle Yeoh, a renowned star in Hong Kong cinema since the 1980s, earned Oscar recognition as Best Actress—a milestone for Asian women in American film. Ke Huy Quan’s journey—from beloved child actor to a long absence from the screen, and back to acclaimed prominence—embodies a broader shift in Hollywood toward greater inclusion and recognition of Asian talent.
The film’s collective Oscar run has also raised questions about the Academy’s engagement with racial diversity. Its success pressure-test the institution’s readiness to celebrate nontraditional storytelling and actors from varied backgrounds. At a time when audiences and critics have scrutinized the balance between blockbuster spectacle and independent artistry, Everything Everywhere All at Once presents a model of cross-genre appeal that still remains distinctly personal and intimate.
Even if certain markets respond more slowly than others, the film has become a cultural touchstone and a sign of the era. The broader reception—combining critical admiration with strong audience enthusiasm—exposes a shift in what mainstream cinema can achieve when it embraces unconventional narratives and diverse voices. The movie’s release and reception reflect an industry adapting to new expectations about representation, tone, and form.
Within the film’s broader commentary, the central message endures: every choice, every action, resonates across different dimensions of life. In a world where control feels scarce, the story argues that small decisions accumulate, shaping our collective experience even across seemingly distant lives. The idea that everything matters, everywhere, at all times, remains the film’s most compelling refrain, inviting audiences to consider their own impact within the vast tapestry of existence.