'Everything Everywhere All at Once' wins best picture at Oscars
The cast and crew of "Everything Everywhere All at Once," standing from left, actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, producer Jonathan Wang, actors Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and, in bottom row, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert celebrate the film's seven Academy Award wins Sunday in Hollywood. Credit: AFP via Getty Images / Frederic J. Brown
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the oddball action-fantasy about an Asian American family plunged into the multiverse, led the 95th Academy Awards with seven Oscars, including best picture, best directing for the team of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and best actress for Michelle Yeoh.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” said Yeoh, the award's Malaysian winner. “And ladies,” the 60-year-old actress added, “don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are past your prime.”
Coming in at second place with four Oscars was Netflix’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” a German-language drama set against World War I. Though it won best international feature, it couldn’t reach the top prize of best picture — the latest near-miss in that category for Netflix following “Roma,” “The Irishman” and “The Power of the Dog.”
Sunday’s ceremony went for an even-keeled, professional tone following last year’s chaotic show, still remembered for Will Smith’s televised slap of presenter Chris Rock. Third-time host Jimmy Kimmel, who pretended to parachute into the Dolby Theatre from Tom Cruise’s fighter jet — a reference to the smash hit “Top Gun: Maverick” — kept his opening monologue mostly on the safe side. When Kimmel informed the crowd that a “crisis team” would respond to any unforeseen events, he was serious, though he was also setting up his most pointed joke of the evening.
“If anything unpredictable or violent happens this year,” he told the crowd, “just do what you did last year — nothing.”
Kimmel’s joshing aside, the Academy Awards wound up flooded with emotional speeches. Ke Huy Quan, the onetime “Goonies” star who had all but given up acting, said he was hoisting his supporting actor Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” so that his 84-year-old-mother watching at home could see. “Mom,” the 51-year-old Quan said between sobs, “I just won an Oscar!”
Moments later, Jamie Lee Curtis, winning supporting actress for the same film, struck a similar note, dedicating her award partly to her famous parents (Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis), who were both nominees but not winners. “We just won an Oscar,” she hollered, “together!”
Ke Huy Quan delivers his acceptance speech after winning the Oscar for best supporting actor. Credit: EPA-EFE / Shutterstock / Etienne Laurent
Brendan Fraser, winning best actor for his comeback role as a morbidly obese man in “The Whale,” seemed barely able to breathe during his speech. He thanked director Darren Aronofksy for “throwing me a creative lifeline.”
The ceremony’s In Memoriam segment was introduced by John Travolta, who choked up while paying tribute to those “who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to” — a reference to his “Grease” co-star, Olivia Newton-John, who died in August.
The show also featured two moving performances of Oscar-nominated songs. Lady Gaga, wearing no visible makeup and dressed in a plain black T-shirt and jeans, sang “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.” Later, Rihanna, fresh off her acclaimed performance at the Super Bowl, delivered a powerful rendition of “Lift Me Up,” her song from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (The award went to “Naatu Naatu,” the energetic theme from the Indian action film “RRR.”)
Films that went home empty-handed included nine-time nominee “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which had done well at the Golden Globes, and “Elvis,” which went in with an impressive eight nominations. Last year’s major blockbusters, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water,” won for sound and visual effects, respectively.
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