Everything Everywhere All at Once

The curtain opens on a Wang family karaoke performance that abruptly vanishes into thin air. Fast-forward to the present day and we find ourselves in the midst of the Wang family's chaotic domestic life. Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and their children are juggling multiple responsibilities: preparing documents for an impending audit, planning a grand birthday celebration for Evelyn's estranged father Gong Gong (James Hong), and struggling to keep their laundromat afloat.

Evelyn is too preoccupied to engage with her husband, who harbors secret doubts about their marriage. Her frustration boils over as she tearfully rips googly eyes off various surfaces in the laundromat, a jest that has lost its appeal for her. The tension is palpable as Evelyn and Waymond's relationship teeters on the brink of collapse.

Their rebellious daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) arrives with her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel), further straining the family dynamic. Evelyn and Joy have a strained rapport, their disagreements revolving around Joy's tattoos and whether she should openly acknowledge her sexuality to Gong Gong, who is growing older and more set in his ways.

Joy perceives her mother's concerns as an excuse to avoid confronting her own feelings about her daughter's sexual orientation. As the family navigates these complex emotions, they fail to notice Waymond's increasingly bizarre behavior. He appears to be possessed by some unknown force, performing impressive martial arts moves without warning.

The next day, the Wangs venture to the IRS offices for a meeting with their auditor. However, just as they're about to arrive at their destination, Waymond is once again taken over by an otherworldly energy. In a series of surreal events, he reveals himself to be an alternate version of his husband (alt-Waymond) from another universe, and warns Evelyn that the fabric of reality is under threat.

As the elevator doors open, Waymond's true nature becomes clear. He scribbles a cryptic note for Evelyn, leaving behind instructions for her to decipher upon exiting the elevator. With this enigmatic message, our journey into the multiverse begins, and we're left wondering what other secrets lie hidden beneath the surface of this complex family drama.

As Evelyn and her family sit down with their auditor, Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis), the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense. With a stern tone, Deirdre warns that the family's actions could be misinterpreted as fraudulent, leaving Evelyn feeling uneasy. Suddenly, she is interrupted by an unexpected revelation - a note from alt-Waymond, whose words transport her to another reality. As if in a trance, Evelyn complies with the instructions: switching shoes, inserting an earpiece, and vividly imagining herself teleporting into a janitor's closet. With a jolt, she finds herself in another universe, alongside alt-Waymond, their connection tenuous as they navigate between the two realities.

In this new realm, alt-Waymond explains that his world, the Alphaverse, has mastered the art of multiversal teleportation through a mapping program that tracks branching universes. Not only can they instantly transport themselves into the body of an alternate version of themselves, but they can also absorb the skills and knowledge of anyone they inhabit. To harmonize with an alt-universe body, one must perform an extraordinary act - hence Evelyn's initial instruction to switch shoes.

As the conversation unfolds, alt-Waymond reveals that a malevolent force, Jobu Tupaki, is wreaking havoc across the multiverse, seeking to bring chaos and destruction. According to alt-Waymond, Evelyn is the only one with the innate goodness to stop this evil multidimensional traveler, who has already taken out versions of her in countless universes. Yet, he believes that this particular Evelyn holds a special significance - the chosen one capable of defeating Jobu.

Just as their conversation reaches its climax, an alternate Deirdre appears, brutally murdering the bodies they inhabit. With a jolt, Evelyn and alt-Waymond are sent back to their original forms, leaving them to process the gravity of their situation. As they re-establish themselves in their own reality, Evelyn realizes that she has been entrusted with a monumental task: to stop Jobu Tupaki and save countless versions of herself from his sinister grasp.

As Evelyn's eyes flickered open, she was met with Deirdre's reluctant agreement: they had until nightfall to gather sufficient documentation for the audit. Still reeling from her unsettling encounter in the parallel realm, Evelyn's shock gave way to fury as she punched Deirdre (who, incidentally, had also stumbled upon Waymond's hastily drawn divorce papers). Deirdre's swift response was to summon security, prompting alt-Waymond to inhabit Waymond's body and unleash a flurry of martial arts moves that left him battered. This sudden outburst caught the attention of Jobu, whose true identity as Joy from the Alphaverse soon became apparent. As it transpired, in this alternate dimension, Evelyn had pushed Joy too far during her exploration of the multiverse, imbuing her with the ability to traverse realities at will and alter the fabric of existence. The weight of this realization, combined with her newfound awareness of the infinite possibilities that lay before her, drove Joy to madness, leading her to develop a devastating weapon capable of destroying the universe.

As Evelyn struggled to come to terms with these revelations, alt-Deirdre seized control of Deirdre's body (gaining sumo wrestler-like abilities in the process) and launched a vicious attack. Alt-Waymond, meanwhile, instructed Evelyn on how to tap into a parallel reality where she was a martial arts master – a feat that required her to declare her genuine love for Deirdre. Unfortunately, Evelyn's inability to access this alternate dimension led alt-Waymond to abandon all hope, convinced that she was not the chosen one. However, Evelyn eventually discovered her inner strength and tapped into her parallel self's combat prowess, defeating alt-Deirdre in a thrilling showdown. Her triumph, however, was short-lived, as she found herself arrested alongside Waymond.

In the midst of chaos, Jobu (now inhabiting Joy) launched a surprise assault on the authorities, reducing them to confetti-like fragments in a gruesome display of cartoonish carnage. Terrified, Evelyn attempted to tap into her inner power to confront Jobu but, in her panic, accessed the skills from a world where every individual had evolved to possess hot dog fingers – an unusual ability that left her feeling disoriented and helpless. Just as all hope seemed lost, Jobu took a peculiar interest in this Evelyn, sharing fragments of her own experiences with her and offering a glimpse into her apocalyptic endgame. Suddenly, the enigmatic Gong Gong (now inhabiting his own body) emerged from the shadows, attacking Jobu with a ferocity that sent him reeling. With her newfound understanding of Joy's motivations, Evelyn realized that she had to journey to the Alphaverse to confront this existential threat head-on – and so, she set off on a perilous quest to prevent the destruction of the multiverse.

As Alt-Waymond re-enters his physical form, he's met with resistance from Alt-Gong Gong, who advocates for the elimination of Joy as a means to sever Jobu's connection to their reality. However, Alt-Waymond's concerns about Evelyn's potential to save everyone ultimately sway her allegiance. In response, Alt-Gong Gong summons forces from the Alphaverse to neutralize the trio, convinced that they've been contaminated by Jobu and fearing that if Evelyn aligns with him, his plans will surely prevail.

Evelyn finds herself compelled to draw upon the diverse experiences of her multiverse counterparts, including those of a martial artist, singer, hibachi grill cook, maid, and sign spinner. By integrating these abilities, she evolves into a formidable warrior, capable of taking down Alt-Gong Gong's minions in a thrilling battle that features an unexpected cameo by Jenny Slate as one of the adversaries. Meanwhile, Jobu exacts his revenge by killing Alt-Waymond.

As Evelyn prepares to face her nemesis, the strain of juggling multiple alternate identities and skills ultimately proves too great, causing her physical form to succumb to the stress. Jobu appears disheartened by her demise, while Waymond is left devastated...

Evelyn's consciousness embarks on a journey across the multiverse, revisiting the various lives from which she drew skills and knowledge. This odyssey takes her through a universe where she's in a romantic relationship with Deirdre, and everything is done with their feet; it also introduces us to a reality where Evelyn chooses not to get involved and instead focuses on doing her taxes at home, revealing that Waymond's desire for divorce was motivated by a desire to prompt Evelyn into discussing their growing apart. Eventually, Evelyn manages to channel her spirit back into her lifeless body, effecting a resurrection.

With renewed determination, she returns home to confront Joy and force Jobu to emerge. However, when the two engage in combat, Jobu leverages Evelyn's immense powers against her, transporting her to realms where she's incarcerated, serves as a piñata, and even exists as an animated being. Jobu then brings Evelyn to his stronghold, setting the stage for their ultimate showdown.

As Joy guides Evelyn's gaze into the "Everything Bagel," a mystical vessel containing the entirety of existence, the boundaries of reality begin to blur. Within its circular confines, Evelyn beholds the infinite vastness of the multiverse, where the insignificance of humanity is laid bare. The existential despair that settles in is palpable, and she finds solace only by contemplating a universe where life never emerged, leaving her as a sentient boulder alongside Jobu.

Evelyn's crisis of faith sparks a destructive rampage across various universes, where she methodically dismantles the connections she once held dear. In her native reality, she serves divorce papers to Waymond, refuses to submit tax returns, prompting Deirdre to arrive with authorities at the laundromat, and shatters its windows. Jobu intervenes, explaining that traversing the bagel's central axis will annihilate Evelyn's existence across all planes, alleviating her anguish stemming from the futility of the multiverse.

Evelyn requests Jobu's guidance, but before embarking on the journey, she is drawn to a universe where she remains a martial artist and her relationship with Waymond unfolded differently. In this reality, Waymond reveals that he believes Evelyn misconstrued his kindness as weakness, leading her to reject his affections. However, he counters that it's precisely his capacity for love that imparts meaning to his existence. He expresses a preference for having lived a virtuous life alongside Evelyn, even if it meant running a humble laundromat together.

Touched by Waymond's words, Evelyn begins to reevaluate the fleeting joys and cherished moments scattered throughout her multiversal lives. This introspection culminates with her return to her native reality, where she bears witness to Waymond charming Deirdre into reversing her decision to seize their laundromat through sheer kindness. Confronted with the truth, Evelyn comes to realize that strength and meaning are derived from genuine love. As Jobu continues to urge her toward self-annihilation, Evelyn resolutely refuses to surrender, instead choosing to forge a new path forward, guided by the wisdom of Waymond's words.

Here's my rephrased version:

As a furious Jobu teleports her minions from their stronghold to Evelyn's universe, chaos erupts as she unleashes destruction. Waymond intervenes, convincing Eleanor to forgo violence and instead channel her emotions into a symbol of hope - the googly eye, which represents her promise to self-reflection. Meanwhile, Alt-Gong Gong and forces from the Alphaverse converge on Jobu, intent on eliminating her. However, Evelyn harnesses her powers to read the deepest regrets of both sides, resolving their conflicts and causing each combatant to halt their assault. Her actions also mend rifts she's created across the multiverse, including reuniting with Deirdre over hot dog finger and saving raccacouille from animal control.

As Evelyn confronts her own emotional baggage, she comes to terms with her father's abandonment and realizes that in trying not to repeat his mistakes, she inadvertently pushed away her own daughter. With her family now united, they join forces to prevent Jobu from continuing her rampage through the bagel.

In a parallel universe, Evelyn apologizes sincerely to Joy for past transgressions, only to be met with initial resistance. Joy initially rejects her mother's attempts at reconciliation, lamenting that life is too painful and humans are insignificant in the grand scheme, making it futile to fix their relationship. However, Evelyn counters that while this may be true, it's these fleeting moments of connection that truly matter, and no single moment is more important than the ones they share together.

As Jobu is pulled out of the bagel hole, her destructive power is neutralized, and she is pacified by Joy's resolution with her mother. The film's narrative jumps forward as the Wong family - now a united front - arrives at the IRS building, welcomed by Becky's full acceptance into their fold. As they enter the building, Evelyn shares a tender kiss with Waymond, demonstrating the strength of their marriage.

Deirdre praises the Wong family for their improved organization and receipt management, as the film concludes with Evelyn still capable of experiencing the entirety of the multiverse - all at once.