Overall Rating: 10/10 yowza!

        I recently watched the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once (multiple times now) and if you’ve heard anything about it, you know that it is widely considered one of the greatest movies of all time. While I think this opinion is affected by how recent the movie is (as well as its originality), the film’s popularity most certainly points to being interesting on a more substantial level. 

       Generally speaking, this movie is a meditation on how we can find meaning in an increasingly confusing universe. Many different philosophies on how to reconcile the infinite cosmos with our human mind are discussed, but there is no one philosophy that is fully embraced. Instead, this movie takes the stance that on a cosmic scale, nothing and no one matters, but instead of nihilism, the movie posits that the lack of inherent purpose in our lives frees us to find what truly makes us spiritually fulfilled, even if it doesn't make any sense. In the end, this movie presents a positive look on how to deal with an impossibly large and uncaring universe.

      This movie relies on a fundamental storytelling technique that I feel is (or at least, it should be) a vital tool that writers and artists can use. That being comedic timing for more than just comedy. It doesn’t matter what genre one is in, comedic timing is a versatile tool to set up subversions and twists for the audience. Even if it isn’t funny, I have found that the structure of comedy works well for a multitude of high emotional energy moments. Whether that be an emotional gut punch, a heel/face turn, a twist reveal, or even (unsurprisingly) a joke. In my opinion, the more closely a narrative story beat can match the cadence of comedy, the more effective that story beat will be. 

      To avoid this review from turning into a blog post about how comedic timing is useful across genres, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once utilizes this philosophy concerning comedic timing to its maxim. The funny or irreverent scenes are written hilariously, and upon inspection, the emotional scenes are written in much the same way. I think that this is the most subtle yet pervasive way to support the themes of this film. The emotional beats are written as punchlines and I believe this is intentional. The sadness and pain of tragedy can often feel like a joke when placed in the scope of the infinite cosmos, and this anxiety is the linchpin of the movie. The characters who become enlightened about the universe initially view themselves as cursed. They know that the universe cares not for their pain, and the awareness of that fact isolates them from each other. 

       However, this is not the end of what the movie has to say on this matter. The struggle of Evelyn Wang and her daughter Joy is to find the beauty of the multiverse even in a miasma of cosmic sadness and confusion. It is one part finding silver linings and one part understanding that in this confusing universe, we are not alone. We have each other. As Evelyn and Joy experience tragedy and comedy simultaneously, so does the audience. 

       It is honestly quite difficult to put it into words just how effective this technique of using comedic timing for multiple kinds of tones is, and I hope I’ve somehow expressed how this happened adequately. I think a summation of this could be – when a movie primes an audience for comedy or deeper emotions, subversions written using comedic timing can reflect the twisted nature of both humor and tragedy. They are two sides of the same coin, and having this at the center of a movie about understanding the universe couldn’t be more appropriate. If my thoughts and review haven’t been clear enough: watch the movie.