Direction: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Country: USA
This strenuous eccentricity from the directors of Swiss Army Man, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, translates into a three-part Matrix-style fantasy where human bodies can be controlled by other universes. But there are positive messages delivered within the zaniness of its parallel realities.
Brimming with a spiraling energy and packed with humor, this story follows Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a messy laundromat owner who’s not on good terms with her patient husband (Ke Huy Quan), nor with her lesbian teen daughter (Stephanie Hsu). Her conservative and cranky father (James Hong) is another trouble, but what’s really giving her heebie-jeebies is the laundromat’s cheating taxes and the IRS worker (Jamie Lee Curtis) who’s dealing with the case. In a split second, she gets involved in a spiral of requests and flashbacks from other universes in which she also plays a role.
Having the sci-fi aspect blending with faster-than-Bruce-Lee kung fu scenes, the creators pile a few too many additional oddities into the mix, but the film supports its wild premise with a skillful direction and fine responses from the stellar ensemble cast. To my surprise, among oodles of unhinged sequences, I ended up enjoying this chaotic and far-fetched movie, which also happens to be conceptual and deliciously satiric.
