At the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, the indie hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once” surprised everyone by winning best picture along with seven other awards, including honors for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis. This metaphysical multiverse comedy, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, beat out other strong contenders such as the German-language WWI epic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which won four awards, including best international film, cinematography, production design, and score. Despite its unconventional storyline involving everything bagels, googly-eyed rocks, and a messy tax audit, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” managed to capture the attention of audiences and critics alike, reviving arthouse cinemas after two years of pandemic and raking in more than $US100 million in ticket sales.
The film tells the story of a Chinese immigrant family, blending science fiction and alternate realities in the tale of an ordinary woman and laundromat owner. Yeoh’s lauded performance in the film also earned her the best actress award, making her the first Asian woman to receive this honor. After 50 years since “The Godfather” won at the Oscars, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” triumphed with a much different immigrant experience, beating out both blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” as well as critical darlings such as “Tar” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
Michelle Yeoh, the 60-year-old actor from Malaysia, won her first Academy Award for a performance that showcased her comedic and dramatic talent in addition to her kung fu skills. Her win marked the first time in 20 years that a non-white actress had won the award for Best Actress. Yeoh received a standing ovation as she encouraged women not to let anyone tell them they are past their prime. Meanwhile, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as the Daniels, won Best Director for their second and unexpected feature film, becoming only the third directing pair to receive the award. In his acceptance speech, Scheinert dedicated the award to “the moms of the world.” Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for his role in The Whale, where he played a 600-lb. reclusive professor. The race for Best Actor was highly competitive, but Fraser emerged victorious over Austin Butler.
Fraser, visibly moved, gestured towards the Everything Everywhere All at Once crew and remarked, “So this is what the multiverse looks like.” Ke Huy Quan, the former child star famous for his roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Goonies, received the expected Oscar for best-supporting actor for his performance in the indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. Quan had given up acting before landing the role in the film. His win was one of the ceremony’s most touching moments, and the audience, including his Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg, gave him a standing ovation as he fought back tears. “Mum, I just won an Oscar!” said Quan, 51, whose family fled Vietnam during the war when he was a child. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe it’s happening. This is the American dream.” Minutes later, Jamie Lee Curtis, Quan’s castmate, won for best supporting actress in one of the most competitive categories of the year, denying a win for comic-book fans.
Angela Bassett’s potential win for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would have marked the first time an actor won an Oscar for a Marvel film. Jamie Lee Curtis, who referred to herself as a “Nepo baby” during her Screen Actors Guild Awards win, made history with her first-ever Oscar win. Her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, were both Oscar nominees in the past, something she tearfully acknowledged in her acceptance speech. While Bassett missed out on the supporting actress award, Ruth E. Carter made history by becoming the first Black woman to win two Oscars, for the costume design of Wakanda Forever. Carter dedicated her award to her mother, who passed away last week at the age of 101. This year’s ceremony revealed all 23 winners live, unlike last year when some categories were prerecorded to shorten the show. Host Jimmy Kimmel made a veiled reference to Will Smith’s controversial incident from last year after over seven minutes into his opening monologue.
Kimmel began the ceremony by joking, “We have nominees from every nook and cranny of Dublin. Five Irish actors are up for awards tonight, so the probability of another altercation on stage just skyrocketed.” Just a few minutes later, Kimmel made a more direct statement: “We want you to have a good time, we want you to be secure, and most importantly, we want me to feel safe. As a result, we have rigorous guidelines in place. If any act of violence takes place in this theater during the event, the person responsible will receive the Best Actor Oscar and be allowed to deliver a 19-minute-long acceptance speech.” Smith won his Best Actor award shortly after the incident with the slap.
Here is the full list of winners from the 95th Academy Awards:
Best Picture:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Director:
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Actor:
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Best Actress:
Michelle Yeoh, Action Comedy
Best Supporting Actor:
Jonathan Ke Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Supporting Actress:
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Original Screenplay:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Best Animated Feature:
Turning Red
Best Documentary Feature:
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Best International Feature Film:
Drive My Car (Japan)
Best Cinematography:
Dune
Best Costume Design:
Wakanda Forever
Best Editing:
Don’t Look Up
Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Dune
Best Original Score:
Dune
Best Original Song:
“No Time to Die” from No Time to Die
Best Production Design:
Dune
Best Sound:
Dune
Best Visual Effects:
Spider-Man: No Way Home
It was a big night for Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Jonathan Ke Quan. Dune also did well, taking home three Oscars, while Spider-Man: No Way Home won two.
