Lent Day 19: Every Oscar All At Once

Last night was the Oscars! <cricket noises> When I was younger, we watched the Oscars every year. Yeah, it was pretty weird for the kid who wasn't allowed to watch movies to watch the most famous award ceremony for movies. It was mainly my dad wanted to watch them, and we sat in there with him. Once I started watching movies, I was much more interested. I tried to see the films with the most nominations. However, I soon learned that the movies I watched and enjoyed were not the same movies that the Academy awarded. There was a long stretch where the winners were all these tiny films that made no money that nobody except the director’s mom had every heard of. I actually had a spreadsheet tracking the big winners (the four acting award, director, and picture) to see just how ridiculous things had gotten. (Myfamily makes fun of my propensity to make spreadsheets. It may be a problem. I’ll chart it and see.) I eventually stopped watching the ceremony. I didn’t care about most of the movies being represented. The show itself was long and mostly stupid. I could see the winners updated on a website and catch the important video clips online the next day. Last night, however, we watched the Oscars from the painfully awkward red carpet arrivals to when the local news took over. What made the difference was that there was a movie we really cared about that had been nominated … a lot. It might seem silly to be so invested in a movie that we had no role in making. And this could be seen as flying in the face of the whole“subtle art of not giving an F.” But for our family, it actually really mattered. Here’s why.

Our family is tight. The five of us really like being together. For someone who grew up with a fractured and fractious family, this has been a source of disbelief and pride. Our home is peaceful and loving. We care about each other, and we try to care about what the others care about. That doesn’t always work. There are definitely times when someone is delivering a passionate and in-depth rundown of a video game where the listener zones out and starts listening to carnival music in their head. Generally, though, we are invested in the things that bring the other people joy. There is also a very large overlap with the interests in our family. All of us go to just about every Marvel movie and show. Just about all of watch the Star Wars creations. If a show is interesting to one person, changes are good it will interest the rest of us. I just started watching The Great British Baking Show Thingee. Many times I’ll start watching an episode as the only one there, but there will be three or four people watching by the end. So, it isn’t uncommon for the Staples Family to have shared excitement over something. But we have never had the kind of response to a movie like we had to Everything Everywhere All At Once (fair warning: I’m going to switch between EEAAO, Everything Everywhere the full title, and some variation of words because I mess up the title a lot). We didn’t know much about it, other than that it was a multiverse movie that looked pretty good from the trailer. Being Marvel fans, we were well verse in the concept of the multiverse. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last few years, the multiverse is based on the theory that there are infinite universes similar to ours. Many times, these universes are created from alternate decisions that someone makes. For example, back in college in my senior year I decided to work for a church instead of being a teacher. There would be universe where I became a teacher. Yes, this is a ridiculous theory. Seven billion people make countless decisions every day. That would generate a mind-boggling number of universes. I’ll just say - like with time travel, it is best to not pull at the logic string. Back to the movie… I had heard really good things about Everything Everywhere, so the older kids agreed to watch it with me. It was so good that we forced Heather to sit down and watch it with us the next night. Since that day, we have been rooting for the movie to win as much stuff as possible. Why did it have such a huge impact on us? I’m glad you asked. This sounds like a perfect opportunity for a list. 

The Movie Itself The movie is bonkers and a little mind-bending. It is inappropriate for younger audiences at times (ouryoungest has not been allowed to watch it). But it is soooo good. The basic story: Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is married to Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan). They have a daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu). They own a laundromat and live above it with Evelyn’s dad (James Hong). This has led to a life as exciting as all of that sounds. Evelyn is flighty; she always has been. Waymond is grounded and attentive. But Evelyn is bored. When the movie starts, she is ready to divorce Waymond. They are being audited by a tenacious IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis). Joy is unhappy and pulling away. Their life is a mess, and it is hardly what Evelyn imagined. This is all disrupted when suddenly Waymond is suddenly inhabited by an alternate version of himself who comes to warn Evelyn of a villain named Jobu who is coming to destroy everything. Then everything goes crazy. Evelyn starts jumping into alternate versions of herself, fighting against Jobu and their minions. The action scenes are absolutely incredible. The different universes alternate between wacky, touching, and insane. And yes I did say wacky and insane, which could be considered redundancy on the SAT. But I REALLY need you to get on board with just how weird this movie can be. My first thought at the end of the movie was, “What the heck did I just see?” But I never was bored - that’s for dang sure. It isn’t a movie you can watch while scrolling on your phone, but I don’t think you would want to do that anyways. It is engrossing. And gross a couple of times. But wildly entertaining. And shockingly deep.

The Messages This is where the movie goes from good to great. If the movie had just been an action movie, it would have been really good. It wouldn’t have won anything, but it would have been a fun view. The directors during one of their acceptance speeches said the original thought of the movie was, “What would happen if we put my mom into The Matrix.” Sounds about right.  However, the movie becomes so much more. At its heart, it is a movie about parents and children. Evelyn always feels she is disappointing her late mother. She knows she is disappointing her father because he tells her frequently. Joy wants to get away from her mom because she never feels seen. The movie also explores what makes a “good life.” Waymond is a genuinely wonderful man, but he drives Evelyn crazy because he is too positive and too steadfast. They have a solid life - it isn’t interesting, but they are making it. The IRS audit threatens everything. Evelyn’s flighty nature and shoddy attention to details has threatened everything they have. As the movie goes along, Evelyn has to decide what she wants from life. I don’t want to say more because it would ruin some really fantastic twists and turns. Suffice it to say that she has to fight (literally) for her family and life. As a parent, I felt the battle for family deeply touch me. The last few years have been very hard on us - on everyone! The pandemic brought levels of stress nobody thought possible. It unlocked fears and anxiety at unbelievably high levels. For most of the last three years, it has felt like I was waging a war for the survival of my family. So I related to the parents in the film. Our kids related to the daughter in the movie - they have felt the same things that she felt. The despair, loneliness, depression were far too familiar. 

Waymond The character of Waymond really resonated with  me. He had a couple of quotes in the movie that perfectly meshed with how I see life. The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on. Be Kind. Kindness is something that has been a powerful driving force for me. In counseling a few years ago, my counselor taught me about being kind to myself. And he would frequently pray that God would show me His kindness. The church we attended at the same time also would frequently talk about the importance of kindness. Sadly, this concept was foreign to me. Kindness is not something the modern church teaches or embraces. God is usually presented as a judgmental harsh character. We are constantly berated for every failure and shortcoming. I didn’t recognize kindness. I desperately needed it, but I didn’t even know what I was longing for. So as I discovered kindness, it became something I tried to give to people - as well as myself. I have a sticker on my computer that says “Be kind.” It matches the background on my screen which says the same thing. So when Waymond pauses in the middle of a chaotic climactic scene to tearfully urge kindness, it gutted me. When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It’s how I learned to survive through everything. Oh man. That picture. Waymond had to decide how to survive, how to fight. And he chose his weapon to be positivity and kindness. What a beautiful picture. Instead of being a pushover for those qualities, he was actually brave. He was warring for his family every day, and he chose those things as his weapons. I always picture a warrior as a bulging, mud and blood covered 
man - clad in armor, waving a mace or a sword. The picture of a mild-mannered man as a warrior? It isn’t traditional, but it is powerful. 

Michelle Yeoh The actress herself is a legend. She stormed onto the scene back in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Many people thought she should have been Oscar nominated for that film. Since then, she has consistently created deep characters - though, in the hands of lesser actress, they would not have had depth at all. One of the complaints by Asian actors is that they are only offered roles of martial arts reliant characters or science nerds. Yeoh definitely has played her share of those characters. In real life, she was not trained in martial arts; she was a dancer. Maybe that is why her fighting always is so graceful and beautiful. Her fight scenes in EEAAO were incredible, as were the ones in Shang Chi. But she gave those characters so much more than killer combat skills. She can switch between dangerous and compassionate in the blink of an eye. That’s one reason her Philippa Gerogiou on Star Trek: Discovery was so amazing. She had to slide through the gamut of motivations for that character, depending on which timeline the ship was in. She also brought that same versatility to Evelyn in EEAAO. The character is so normal - just a normal mom and wife. But then she has to be a gritty fighter, a glamorous actress, a heartbroken lover. With each iteration of Evelyn, Yeoh tapped into another a reservoir - all without losing the core of the character. It was masterful. BUT, in addition to all of that. Michelle Yeoh is just an awesome person. She broke ground last night. She was the first Asian American to win Best Actress. She is from Malaysia, and it was very cool to see the country celebrating with her. She also is 60 years old, but still kicking ass all over the place. Listening to and watching the rest of the cast show how much they all loved her. Just take a look at the famous picture of Jamie Lee Curtis at the Golden Globes, losing her dang mind when Yeoh won. The win meant so much more than just someone winning an award; it was a step forward for an entire ethnic group and for women above the usually embraced ages. 

Ke Huy Quan If you can watch this man’s awards journey and not be moved, you might need to get your emotion chip checked. The story has been repeated frequently, but it still deserves attention. He was cast as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Then he was in Goonies. Then he virtually disappeared.  He popped up in Encino Man(with future co-Oscar winner Brendan Fraser). But for twenty years, he did almost nothing in Hollywood. He said that all he ever was offered were those stereotypical Asian roles, and he didn’t want to do those. So he walked away. After watching Crazy Rich Asians (starring future costar Michelle Yeoh), he wondered if the time was right to return. So he returned, and MAN he came back big. Quan’s portrayal of Waymond was nothing less than magical. If Michelle Yeoh was the main focus of the movie, Ke Huy Quan was the heart. He was tender and determined and centered. He had to jump between roles as well, which he did flawlessly. His fight scenes were amazing, but his metaphorical fight scenes were even better. (I already mentioned those quotes that meant a lot.) Many people remembered Quan from his childhood roles, so there was already a rooting interest for the actor. His story of his disappointment with Hollywood is something that has been echoed for years by minority actors. Seeing this man finally be able to return to his craft was heartwarming. He already has two major roles lined up in Loki and American Born Chinese. Last night’s ceremony was the perfect conclusion of the celebration of Quan. Steven Spielberg - the director who gave Quan his big break in Temple of Doom - sat in the front row, smiling widely. Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones himself - presented Best Picture to the film. I felt a laugh and tears escape when Ford and Quan jumped around together on stage in celebration. How can you not root for this guy? 

The Barrier Busting Throughout the awards season, James Hong shared how much Hollywood has changed. At 94 years old, he has seen it all. He’s been in over 650 movies and shows. You may not know his name, but you know him. Go do a search for him. I can wait… See? You know that dude. He’s been in many things you’ve watched. He went through all of the challenges, faced racism for decades. This was his first Oscar ceremony. He was able to see the end result of those decades of fighting for legitimacy. Yeoh was the first Southeast Asian Best Actress. Asia is huge. Technically Israel and Armenia are in Asia, so there have been other people from Asia who have won. But there is a difference when it comes to people who look like the traditional concept of Asian - people from Southeast Asia. Japan, China, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, and others. That is the group that has been woefully underrepresented in award ceremonies. Quan was a refugee from Vietnam. Daniel Kwan - the award winning director and screenwriter of EEAAO - is of Chinese descent. Jonathan Wang - the producer of the film - is of Taiwanese descent. Each of these men joined only a handful of others of their ethnicity to win. Beyond just the victories for Asians, the movie also broke ground with its two actresses due to their age. Women in Hollywood have a very short window to be cast in major roles. Once women hit a certain age, their roles drop off until they hit the age where they can play old ladies. Guys can be cast in lead roles for so much longer than women. Harrison Ford is 80, and he is still getting lead movie roles. This is one reason why actresses turn to plastic surgery so often - to be viable actors for a longer time. Michelle Yeoh is 60; Jamie Lee Curtis is 64. Neither of them played “old” characters. They were both just normal characters. They didn’t “ugly themselves” up. They also didn’t try to play younger than they were. They were normal, realistic female characters in their 60s. That is pretty rare. 

Jamie Lee Curtis I felt bad for Angela Bassett. She did a great job in Black Panther. She’s an amazing actress with a great catalog of films. She’s a Black actress - another group that has been under-reward by Oscar. Many people said she was a lock for the award, especially after winning some early awards. But as soon as Curtis won the Screen Actors’ Guild award, I knew Bassett was fighting a losing battle. Everyone loves Jamie Lee Curtis. She is the original nepo-baby! Daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh! Wife of actor Christopher Guest! She could be one of the most obnoxious people ever, but I’ve never seen anyone talk bad about her. She knows all about how poorly women can be treated - how they can be reduced to sex symbols, how they can face disrespectful and abusive behavior. She’s fought this battle for decades, and her mother fought it for decade before her. She is so self-deprecating. “My career has been slasher movies and selling yogurt that makes you poop.” That’s not exactly a fair assessment, but it is funny. She is genuinely funny. She said that the reason she got so much screen time in movies like Knives Out is because she just stayed on set all the time, so they just moved her into scenes. She isn’t ashamed to be herself. Seriously, look at the picture from when Michelle Yeoh won the Golden Globe. See how she reacted last night for every EEAAO award. It is always great to see someone with such a long career finally getting rewarded - and deserving it. This was not some pity, thanks for the memories award like we have seen (Jack Palance, looking in your direction). She was truly fantastic in the role. 

So there are 3000 words about Everything Everywhere All At Once. I could probably write 3000 more. Like I said in my U2 articles, I can really punch out the words on entertainment stuff I like. I didn’t even get into Harry Shum Jr of Glee fame getting to enjoy the awards process due to his role in the film. And I didn’t ramble on about Stephanie Hsu and her Oscar nominated role. I hope she has a long career in Hollywood; she is delightful and talented. I also feel like I forgot something - hard to believe. If you haven’t seen the movie, go watch it. It may be the weirdest movie you can remember watching, but you will hopefully have enjoyed it and gotten something out of it. I love Marvel and Star Wars and James Bond and Harry Potter. I’m not a person who is going to complain about franchises putting out films. But it is also nice to see something original break through the media glut and establish itself. Congratulations to all involved.