I don't remember the last time I added a movie to my personal Top Ten list, but I was ready to bump an old favorite to make room for Everything Everywhere All At Once after watching it for the first time a week ago.
(Please note that if you are offended by the use of certain words and references to crude sexual practices, this is not a movie I can recommend to you. It's a shame - those things are involved in 1% of the run time and none are necessary to the story.)
The movie has a lot going for it otherwise as it deftly blends sci-fi, action, comedy, and drama. It's a compelling and imaginative story filled with emotion. The casting, directing, and acting are all top-notch.
What gripped me most, though, was the means of the resolution to the main character's central problem. Evelyn, a Chinese American owner of a failing laundromat finds her dissatisfaction with life turned into contentment and peace through nothing more than a new outlook.
Upon some reflection, I realized Everything Everywhere All At Once shares an important quality with several of my other favorite movies:
- A Christmas Carol - A miserly man comes to see the joy in caring for others.
- Big Fish - A resentful son discovers the truth contained in his father's fantastical stories.
- Local Hero - A self-absorbed oil man comes to value friendship over wealth.
- It's a Wonderful Life - A frustrated man learns the impact of the sacrifices he has made.
In all of these movies, the protagonists' problems are solved by a change of heart - resulting from a fundamental reframing of their view of reality.
This is reframing as a solution to life's major problems! These movies say solutions are readily available, if only we could see them!
This is true to life.
And it is at the heart of the Christian faith.
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