Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once has received 11 Oscar nominations (the most out of any film this year), including Best Picture. The love towards this film in awards bodies has been overwhelming to say the least; with critics and audiences agreeing that it’s one of the best of 2022. But, can the little indie sci-fi movie actually win the top prize at this year’s Academy Awards, despite competing against juggernauts such as All Quiet on the Western Front and Top Gun Maverick? Yes, and here’s how:
ACTING NOMINATIONS:
On Tuesday, January 24th 2023 Everything Everywhere All At Once scored four acting nominations for its outstanding ensemble cast. Those nominated were Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu for supporting actress, Ke Huy Quan for supporting actor, and Michelle Yeoh for best lead actress. Ke Huy Quan winning the Oscar is one of the few ‘locks’ for this year’s Academy Awards, with his passionate comeback narrative touching hearts around Hollywood. Not to mention, that he has been sweeping critics circles and major precursors such as the Golden Globes and Critics Choice. So yeah, it’s a guarantee. Speaking of acting sweeps, Angela Bassett has been dominating the supporting actress race for her scene-stealing performance in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, Kerry Condon seems like a likely alternative with her having a strong shot at winning the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) next month for her turn in Martin McDonaugh’s dromedy, The Banshees of Inisherin. This unfortunately means that Jamie Lee Curtis or Stephanie Hsu winning at the Oscars looks highly unlikely due to strong competition in that category. Now, is Michelle Yeoh taking home the golden statuette for her astonishing turn as the multiverse-traveling Evelyn Quan? After the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards, it looks like her competitor Cate Blanchett has the slight upper hand for her equally impressive performance in Todd Field’s Tar. However, it’s way too early to tell if this will be yet another sweep. As mentioned before, the BAFTAs and also SAG (Screen Actors Guild) are yet to come, with Michelle looking particularly strong in the latter ceremony. It really looks like a coin-toss here with both performances getting rave reviews from critics and the public. So far, Everything Everywhere All At Once has one Oscar already in the bag. But can it get more above the line wins?
DIRECTOR AND SCREENPLAY NOMINATIONS:
Everything Everywhere All At Once also scored two nominations for the directing duo ‘Daniels’, making them contenders for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories. Though it underperformed in these respective categories at the Golden Globes, the film managed to win both these awards at the Critics Choice (it also won Best picture). This puts the Daniels in a very good position because ever since 2016, the Critics Choice has successfully predicted the Best Director winner back to back. But to win Best Picture at the Oscars would also mean that you’d also really want your screenplay to win. In the last 12 years, Critics Choice has successfully predicted 10 of the winners. So, is Everything Everywhere All At Once winning screenplay as well? We’re going to say yes, due to the passion this movie has throughout the industry. Nevertheless, it’ll face fierce competition against Martin McDonaugh’s darkly humorous screenplay for Banshees of Inisherin.
TECH NOMINATIONS:
The final indicator that Everything Everywhere All At Once will do great come Oscar Night is its over performance in tech nominations, as it is the most nominated film of the year after all. Though it isn’t going to likely win any, the fact that a small indie film got this many nominations in technical categories means that the majority of the branches in the Academy adore Everything Everywhere All At Once.
PREDICTIONS:
Right now, we predict that Everything Everywhere All At Once will win the following:
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Picture
And yes. As of this moment, Everything Everywhere All At Once has the best shot to win Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12th, 2023.
