Evelyn's (Michelle Yeoh) running a failing laundromat with her husband (Ke Huy Quan), who she feels doesn't take anything seriously enough. She's caring for her aged and distant father (James Hong), she's losing her daughter (Stephanie Hsu) whether she realizes it or not. Oh, and the laundry's in dutch with the IRS (as represented by Jamie Lee Curtis' character.)
In the midst of all that, Waymond starts acting weird, claiming he's a version of him from another universe, who need Evelyn's help to save the entire multiverse from the Jobu Teriyaki. Jay-ne-ne Topeka? Klatuu verada niktu? It's a person whose mind has fragmented across the multiverse and is trying to pull the entire thing into a void of destruction and ruin. Evelyn has to fix it, by drawing on the abilities of other Evelyns, assuming she can avoid having her own mind shattered by the experience.
I did not expect this movie to be as funny as it is. The weird, random stuff people have to do to build the connection to a different version of them. Like eating chapstick. The whole "Raccacoonie" running gag had me doubled over laughing. The bit where Evelyn and her daughter are rocks, because it's a universe where no life ever developed. Waymond beating up security guards with his fanny pack - or is it a utility pouch? Let's ask Cable. Even the part where Evelyn falls into the same line of thinking as the Jobu Tupaki, falls into nihilism, and we see her destroying happiness, hers and others, across multiple universes, because the way she goes about some of it is just funny.
The movie plays a bit with the notion of an infinite multiverse, mostly in the form of the "hot dog fingers" reality, but also the universes with no life. Kind of would have like to see one without even any planets, just swirling forms of energy or something. Minor thing. And of course the big question of whether anything you do matters if there's a universe out there somewhere for every decision you could ever make. Maybe you didn't take that trip to Tuscany, but there's a (better tanned and more fluent in Italian) version of you who did, so did it matter what you chose?
I like the "ending" in the middle of the movie, before things resume. The fact it does address that feeling of the meaninglessness of existence, before offering an answer as to why it does matter. That Evelyn starts out treating the whole situation as a nuisance, just another thing her silly husband dragged her into. Then it's an escape, a way to feel control, or feel like a better version of herself. Then it's a way to save her daughter, but Evelyn sees it as something in opposition she has to fight. That doesn't work, of course. It's like another excuse, way to avoid the real issue.
Also appreciate that the resolution doesn't come with her just telling her daughter all these positive things, but when she's totally honest. Even with stuff that's critical. Does that mean Waymond was right about starting divorce papers as a way to bring about a real conversation? You have to mark the fault lines before you can try bridging them?
If either was going to win Best Supporting Actress, I would have gone with Stephanie Hsu over Jamie Lee Curtis. Hsu's role was the more complex and impressive bit of work. The frustrated and exhausted daughter, getting dragged down by expectations she can't meet (or doesn't want to) from someone she doesn't think has any business criticizing her. Repeat that experience hundreds, thousands, millions of times, and see how hopeless it leaves you. How everything is just a joke at that point.
Yeoh and Quan get to take different approaches to dealing with connecting to other versions of themselves. Quan's always a separate guy, separate experiences, even when the "Alphaverse" Waymond is inhabiting Evelyn's Waymond. Different posture, different ways of speaking to her (Alphaverse Waymond is much more assertive), but that similar compassion. It's take real skill to say, "You can do anything, because you're so bad at everything," and not come off like a dick.
Yeoh's always the same Evelyn, but she gets to see how the other Evelyn's lived, inhabit their lives for a minute. So there's that element of confusion, or envy, before she snaps back to her life, which she feels is slowly grinding her to paste. She moves like she's checked out during the early stages of the movie, just going through the motions, then slowly comes to life as she gets into the multiverse stuff. You can see her getting cocky when she thinks she's got a handle on it, right up to the point she finds out who the Jobu Tupaki is.
Anyway, it's very good. Shocking, right?
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