If you've ever force-fed peanut-butter sandwiches on a group of strangers, you'll recognize that most of the group will consume it as a hearty snack, while a small percentage of them will literally die. The absurdity of that hypothetical scenario is exactly the problem with Everything Everywhere All at Once. Of about 25 people in the audience, 4 left partway through, and after the movie 2 were seen in a comatose state of tears and deeply in need to be held while the rest of the audience was busy repeating the mantra that it was the best movie they had ever seen (in stark contrast). The ubiquitous positive reception by the majority only adds insult to injury.

This comedy is a story of nihilism and the mundane constancy of 'laundry and taxes' (aka death and taxes). In the story, a mother who owns a 'laundromat', which serves as a symbolic place for hundreds of 'machines' or 'multiverses' to cycle constantly in a pointless cycle of life and death, is audited at multiple levels for her worthiness to rescue her daughter (and as a consequence the multiverse). It meticulously and powerfully makes a concerted effort to reconstruct the mind of a victim of depression inside the minds of the viewers. It intentionally overwhelms the senses and adds increasing doses of chaos until a conglomerate of elated misery and confusion is fully formed in the mind of the viewer, much like in the mental state of a person who suffers from depressive trauma. It then makes a feeble attempt at dissolving this toxic construct with a caustic fallacy that long term depression can be solved with love. It invites those who have truly felt depression to reawaken any past horrors and then face them with no warning or preparation, and to be left with an aftermath of feeling worthless whilst asking them to contemplate suicide. All within a guise of fast-paced hilarious scenes that make it highly appealing, much like rat poison covered in frosting.

Most unfortunately, the comedy is well constructed and the narrative is cohesive, which makes it quite a powerful and well-made story. However, with great power comes great responsibility, something which is tragically ignored. The writers welcome us to contemplate the meaninglessness of life in this free ride to hell. Any who have inner demons will be snatched out of there seats and into an introspective trial with their worst horrors. All else will be able to pass this off as a light-hearted comedy with mediocre story. This is why food with peanuts comes with allergy warnings.