**I want to preface this by saying I am a poor college student who, unfortunately, did not have any of the subscriptions that lived streamed The Oscars, so my opinions and speculations are based on clips, TikToks, and the list of awards that were released after the show**
Everything Everywhere All At Once. I first watched this movie with my dad in the theaters, and as soon as the movie was over, I felt like my life had changed. I have never seen any movie that has made me feel such a large range of emotions in such a short amount of time. I laughed, smiled, cried, and walked out of that theater and into the world with a new mindset and take on life. Some of my friends here at UConn had never seen the movie before, so I watched it again a couple of weeks ago, and as someone who never watches the same movie twice, I was happily surprised to say I felt the same exact way I felt the first time that I watched it. I’m an advocate for the fact that this movie changes your life once you watch it. All of my friends and I left the room dead silent, wiping away our tears and trying to process what we had just seen. We all came to the agreement that it was the best movie we’d ever seen. And I continue to stand by that. All of the nominations that this movie received were well deserved and the only thing left was to see if the movie and the actors would be rightfully awarded during the Oscars.
Thoughts on The “This is the life” Oscar Performance
I don’t know if this is a controversial opinion, but I was not feeling the performance by Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne, and Son Lux. I understand that it was supposed to be a theatrical sort of performance and embody similar energy that the movie had, but I don’t think it was executed correctly. Both Hsu and Byrne’s voices were not only off beat but the harmony along with their voices just felt like I was watching a parody. I’ve seen some people say that the performance was perfect for the movie and it was a great addition, but as I said before, I’m going to have to disagree. There were funny moments during the movie, and there were odd and strange things, but the tone of the movie was overall serious. Once you peel back the layers of the movie, it’s not anything to be laughing about; it forces you to reflect on yourself and your life.
What awards did eeaao win?
Best Original Screenplay — Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
I’m so happy that EEAAO won this award because one of the things that makes the movie so great is that I’ve never seen any movie like it before. It was completely new and original, which is becoming hard to come across in new releases.
Best Motion Picture of the Year — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathon Wang
Again, 100% well deserved and I’m just satisfied that during the Oscars this movie got all the recognition it deserved.
Best Achievement in Directing — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role — Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh is the first-ever Asian actress to win this award. Not only is this a win that gives credit to her talent and success, but it also paves the way and sets an example for every single other Asian actress that it is possible for dreams to come true.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role — Jamie Lee Curtis
Ah… Jamie Lee Curtis was great in this movie, but Stephanie Hsu was frankly robbed. I don’t think that Jamie’s role in this movie was one that had much emotional depth compared to the character Stephanie played. Regardless, congratulations to Jamie because she’s starred in enough great films throughout her career that it was time for her to take home an Oscar.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — Ke Huy Quan
I was brought to tears by Ke Huy Quan’s speech after winning this award. He is so wholesome and sweet and grateful for his life and success and I cannot think of a better actor to play the role of Waymond. He embodies the spirit of Waymond.
Best Achievement in Film Editing — Paul Rogers
All of the wins for this movie were justified, but congratulations to Paul Rogers because one of the factors that made this movie so unique was all of the different editing sequences, especially during the scene where the screen flashes with all of the different versions of Evelyn.
In conclusion
Everything Everywhere All At Once was and is a groundbreaking film that has touched the lives and hearts of millions across the world and I am so happy to be alive and witness the way it captivates others.
As Waymond Wang once said: “Every rejection, every disappointment has led you here to this moment. Don’t let anything distract you from it.”