I loved both Michelle Yeoh ("Evelyn") and Jamie Lee Curtis ("Deirdre") in this entertainingly surreal take on the latest multi-verse theme to hit the cinemas. The former is a lady trying to balance the books at her failing laundry who must face the wrath of the latter - an imposing IRS investigator. Add to her woes, she has her hapless husband "Waymond" (Ke Huy Quan); her recently out lesbian daughter "Joy" (Stephanie Hsu) and her imperious and disapproving father "Gong Gong" (James Hong). Frankly, this poor woman does not have her troubles to seek. Then, all of a sudden, there is a rift - and in best Lewis Carroll tradition, "Evelyn" finds herself in not just one, but in multiple realities where she has everything from superpowers to a need to save the world from beings that would permanently unravel all the layers of existence on planet Earth. It's frankly impossible to adequately evaluate the plot - it lurches, veers, wobbles and meanders all over the shop with precious little linear to guide the viewer. It is a tour de force from Yeoh, well directed and scripted - frequently amusingly - that asks just as many questions as it strenuously attempts to avoid answering. It is aptly titled - and you need to have your eyes (and your brain) on wide beam to get the most from this feast of ostensibly nonsensical, but often poignant, series of escapades that search for what could constitute any degree of life-satisfaction for "Evelyn". A second viewing is highly recommended - it has plenty more to give once you've calibrated your senses after the first time, and big screen shows off some great VFX that do not impose themselves on this character-driven movie.
