Cast:
Michelle Yeoh (Evelyn Quan Wang), Stephanie Hsu (Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki), Ke Huy Quan (Waymond Wang), James Hong (Gong Gong), Jamie Lee Curtis (Deirdre Beaubeirdra), Tallie Medel (Becky), Jenny Slate ("Big Nose"), Harry Shum Jr. (Chad), and Biff Wiff (Rick) Written and Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
Review:
“We should be looking to a forward-looking multiverse, because right now this universe we’re in is on a very scary path. And the multiverse is actually a really beautiful, important metaphor for right now because we need to be looking at all the possibilities, not just the one that we think we’re in. And we definitely shouldn’t be looking backwards.”
You may or may not know the directing duo of "Daniels", comprised of two directors in Kwan and Scheinert, who met at Emerson College while studying film; they did a variety of stuff together, starting with two short films in Swingers (2009) and Puppets (2010), which can be found online. They did several other things together such as television episodes and music videos (such as for the song “Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon) before they made their feature debut with Swiss Army Man (2016), which evidently involves a man and a farting corpse. Scheinert directed The Death of Dick Long (2019) solo, so this in effect makes this film Scheinert's third effort and second for Kwan. When they had shown Swiss Army Man to their parents and had numerous conversations about it, the reflections of the duo on their apparent need to make something so strange to go with the difficulty of their parents in understanding it that proved an inspiration. I had first heard of the film earlier last month, but it was only in the last week of April that I had the chance to see this film in my local theater (the result of a film that expanded from an initial limited release - go figure, expand a release and people like me might actually see it rather than flock to "streaming" like a defeated sheep), and it took little time to convince myself that this might be a useful curiosity to see.
As one imagines, sometimes you must sneak in sincerity under absurdity when it comes to a journey of finding balance and understanding within beautiful chaos. This is in a movie that involves hot-dog fingers and sentient rocks, for example. But describing things that happen to occur in a movie isn't exactly a succinct answer for a movie like this, one that threads itself carefully on the matter of choices, not so much just being a movie about multiple selves, since the "chosen one" to potentially save things is possibly just the one with the most failures, for example. It results in a movie that is a hodgepodge of genres fitting for its title - action, sci-fi adventure, thriller, coming of everything, black comedy...but it really can be construed as a movie of finding the middle ground between oblivion and meaning. Yes, it has a quick pace to action scenes at times, but it never loses sight of doing some philosophy to go along with things at the end. In the end, it results in a brilliantly messy movie that maneuvers its way through 139 minutes with a warm-hearted sense of self that may very well become a curiosity to watch again and again just to think about how far the rabbit hole can go. In other words: the key to everything in a movie about family strife happening everywhere all at once is communication, complete with a family triangle that is yearning to have things acknowledged by the other. In that sense, I applaud the movie for managing to not fall into the modern trap of trying to build itself so high only to fall on its own hype, or to put it in more blunt terms, not huffing its own supply and interrupting its own flow. As such, this seems just the right kind of movie ideal for Yeoh, one that requires an actress to put on many hats (as the expression goes) in being the key focus of an organic mold of melancholy and resolve that allows for both a flurry of action sequences alongside touching moments spent with either Hsu or Quan for family interest, whether that means trying to roll with the growing sense of genre anarchy or other things. You may remember Quan from his childhood roles in films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies (1985), but you might be surprised to hear that this is in fact his comeback feature, as he had actually stepped away from acting (due to a lack of opportunity for roles) for work behind the camera. It is evident fairly early that he has not lost a step here, since he proves quite endearing in keeping the balance of the film on the right level with kindness and charm in each of the three personalities he inhibits here (ranging from the husband wanting to sneak divorce papers for actual attention to the confident "Alpha" husband). Hsu provides the key center to the proceedings in terms of a family dilemma that essentially explodes into multitude family dilemma with suitable timing that taps well with Yeoh in expressing the doubts and fears that come within paths that could spring curiosity or nihilism (especially when one's trauma of disappointing a parent has sprung in two generations), and she balances well with the conflicts presented here for engaging drama that makes her a quality presence. The film is built on the main trio, but Curtis and Hong do partake in their own moments to share for interest that one would expect from veteran presences like them, whether that involves a dry auditor that draws a few amusing moments or an eccentric charmer, respectively. By the time the movie draws to its ending, it does so without becoming dripped in false notes, which works out when wanting to finish making a movie that uses the idea of a "multi-verse" as a metaphor that seems timeless and therefore right on target. Honestly, the rating for this film took a bit of time to think about, because it really is a fun time for anyone who wants to see something original in their movie experience that seems like a labor of love more than just a laborious experiment in filmmaking. It does so with a break-neck pace that rewards its viewers with a useful emotional journey that details the meaning of empathy in a weary world (or worlds, in this case) with the right cast to make a worthy adventure that may be one worth looking into again and again, a wonderfully messy mix of action and clarity.
Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.
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