The cast calls themselves ‘the muffin to everything’ for the surreal concept at the heart of the film. And the Everything Everywhere All At Once team proved to be an irresistible force: they swept virtually every award at the Oscars, where the film bagged best picture, best director, and three of the four acting awards.
It was also a great night for the veteran actors and comebacks with all the performance winners, the massive sentimental favorites with the 3,300 strong audience at the Dolby Theatre, and all of them over the age of 50, all of them with long careers, and all of them nominated for the first time.
Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, started acting as a teenager and was rewarded at 64 with her first Oscar nomination and first win. She dedicated it to her parents, saying after the ceremony: “I’m a product of them and a proud product of them and I know they would be incredibly proud of me.”
Michelle Yeoh, 60, was again nominated for the first time for her role as laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, saying of her award after a 40-year career: “Dream big and dreams come true, and ladies, don’t let anyone tell you.” you who are past your prime.’
She added: ‘I have to dedicate this to my mother and all the mothers in the world because they are the true superheroes. And without them none of us would be here tonight.
Toast to the Town: Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser and Jamie Lee Curtis celebrate backstage after winning the Oscar on Sunday night
An Oscar at Last: Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, started acting as a teenager and was rewarded at 64 with her first Oscar nomination and first win for Everything Everywhere All at Once
Touching moment: Michelle Yeoh, 60, was nominated for the first time for her role as laundromat owner Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once and took home the award for best actress.
Yeoh, 60, dedicated the award to his 84-year-old mother and said he would take it home with him to Malaysia.
Brendan Fraser, who won Best Actor for his portrayal of obese teacher Charlie in The Whale, had reason to celebrate that truth in his own life when he achieved ultimate triumph in his own ‘Brenaissance.’
Once a heartthrob, the star of the movies George of the Jungle and The Mummy had barely acted in a movie in a year before director Darren Arronofsky asked him to take on the role.
Perhaps the most amazing story belongs to former child actor Ke Huy Quan. His first role was in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984 as a child actor playing Short Round and in the years since he left the acting business because there were no roles for him.
He was honored Sunday night for his portrayal of Waymond Wang in the genre-shattering, multiversal action comedy film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Quan was greeted with a standing ovation, kissed the Oscar and wept.
What a comeback: Former child actor Ke Huy Quan was forced to quit acting because there were no roles for him until he landed a role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. He was moved to tears when he accepted the award for best supporting actor
The incredible ‘Brenaissance’: Brendan Fraser, who rose to fame as Best Actor for his portrayal of the obese Professor Charlie in The Whale. Once a heartthrob, the star of the movies George of the Jungle and The Mummy had barely acted in a movie in a year before director Darren Arronofsky asked him to take on the role.
He said, ‘Thank you! My mom is 84 years old and is at home watching. ‘Mom, I just won an Oscar. My journey started on a ship. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow ended up here on the biggest stage in Hollywood.
They say that stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This, this is the American dream. Many thanks to the Academy for this once-in-a-lifetime honor.’
He added: ‘I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife Echo, who month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day, one day, my time would come. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you please keep your dreams alive. Thank you very much for welcoming me back.
His co-star James Hong, 94, commented: “He wasn’t really retired, he was waiting for an ambush, and once he got back to Hollywood, he said: I’m going to do it big.”
Quan’s excitable personality and habit of taking delighted selfies with every famous person he has met in the course of the Oscars campaign have made him probably the most beloved figure at this year’s event.
Everything Everywhere All at Once came about after writer-director Daniel Kwan told his partner Daniel Scheinert, “Let’s put my mom in the Matrix.”
Kwan, named best director, said the film’s message was: “There is genius in every person, no matter who you are.” You just need to find the right people to unlock it.’
The pair, originally pop music video directors, pulled off a series of upsets that completely excluded both The Banshees of Inisherin, who earned nothing, and Elvis, who also earned nothing despite star Austin Butler being the favorite to win the Best Actor award.
Incredible: Everything Everywhere All At Once garnered seven awards, including Best Picture
Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Top Gun only took home one, for Sound. Perhaps his star Tom Cruise had guessed it wasn’t going to be his night and so walked away.
There was also disappointment for Scottish triathlete Lesley Paterson, who bought the rights to the German novel All Quiet on the Western Front 16 years ago and made considerable sacrifices to keep the rights, including competing in a fundraising event with a broken shoulder.
She and her writing partner Ian Stokell came up with a script which was later revised by producer Edward Berger and translated into German.
All Quiet lost in the Adapted Screenplay category to Everything Everywhere All At Once.
But while it wasn’t Paterson’s night, it was a great night for the movie. It won four Oscars, having been nominated for nine, including Cinematography, which went to a visibly emotional Brit James Friend, Best International Film, and Best Production Design.
The entire cast and crew wore blue ribbons to show their solidarity with the refugees as part of a UNHCR initiative.
James Friend told the audience: “It’s not my birthday, but it looks like it is.”