Script Analysis: “Everything Everywhere All At Once” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). You may read the script here.

Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert.

Plot summary: A universe-jumping laundromat manager takes on the mission of ridding all possible universes of the ultimate evil, which has taken possession of her twenty-something daughter. Along the way she finishes her taxes and saves her marriage.

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Scene by Scene Breakdown
By Judith Sears
GoIntoTheStory.com

p. 1. We watch through a hazy mirror as the Wang family, WAYMOND, EVELYN AND JOY, does an awkward karaoke version of “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.

p. 1- 4. In their apartment upstairs over the laundromat a frazzled Evelyn sorts through tax documents in preparation for an audit, gives Waymond instructions for painting and decorating the laundromat for the party and for preparing dinner. Waymond remarks that she wants everything to be perfect for her elderly father, GONG GONG, who is visiting. Evelyn waves off Waymond’s request that they make time to talk. Joy buzzes at the door. When Evelyn leaves to let Joy in, Waymond glances at divorce papers he’s holding.

p. 4–5. At the door, Joy prepares her girlfriend, BECKY SREGOR, for the WANG family scene: Gong Gong has arrived unexpectedly after not speaking to the family for decades; Evelyn regularly insults people she cares about. Evelyn opens the door, sees Becky, and says she only made enough food for three people, she’ll have to cook more.

p. 5–6. It had been arranged that Becky would watch Gong Gong while Waymond, Evelyn and Joy attend an IRS audit appointment, but Evelyn doesn’t like this idea. Evelyn proposes that they take Gong Gong to the appointment and Joy and Becky decorate the laundromat for the party. Evelyn uses “he” pronouns for Becky, which Joy corrects. A laundry customer rings the buzzer downstairs.

p. 6–9. In the laundromat, Evelyn searches for DEBBIE THE DOG MOM’S laundry while explaining to Joy that she’s open to her lesbian relationship but Gong Gong might not be. Evelyn fights off a customer’s (RICK) clumsy flirtation. Unable to find Debbie’s laundry she calls for Waymond. Waymond comes downstairs and explains he put some laundry upstairs where it would be “happier.”

p. 9–14 Evelyn retrieves Debbie’s laundry while complaining to Joy that the auditor is a terrible person who targets Chinese and has put a lien on the laundromat. Back in the laundry, Evelyn watches in confusion as Waymond hits the coin machine repeatedly. As Evelyn tries to replace the change Rick lost in the machine, Gong Gong appears in the laundromat. Evelyn interrupts Joy’s introduction of Becky, telling Gong Gong Becky is Joy’s good friend. Evelyn finally gets Debbie’s laundry to her and invites her to their Chinese New Year’s party that evening. Joy and Becky leave.

p. 14–15 Back in the apartment, Evelyn tries to finish her taxes while Gong Gong eats noodles.

p. 15–16. Evelyn, Waymond and Gong Gong drive to the audit appointment. In the IRS building, Waymond enviously watches an affectionate married couple.

p. 16–20. In the elevator, Waymond is replaced by ALPHA WAYMOND who gives Evelyn Bluetooth earpieces. He tells her there’s not much time and she may be in danger. He looks for Alternate Life Paths for Evelyn on his phone, which takes Evelyn back through earlier stages of her life. Alpha Waymond writes instructions on the back of the divorce papers Waymond was carrying and gives them to Evelyn as the elevator door opens.

p. 20–22 Evelyn sits in the audit trying to follow Alpha Waymond’s instructions, which start with switching her shoes to the wrong foot. The auditor, DEIRDRE ATKINS, is frustrated that Evelyn doesn’t seem to be paying attention and has tried to deduct a karaoke machine as a business expense.

p. 22–28 Following the instructions, Evelyn is suddenly shifted back and forth from events in the auditor’s cubicle to events in the janitor’s closet. In the janitor’s closet, Alpha Waymond explains to her that she is needed to stop the spread of a great evil. In the cubicle, Deirdre warns Evelyn of fines for negligence. In the closet, Alpha Waymond tells Evelyn to trust no one as Deirdre breaks into the janitor’s closet, attacking Alpha Waymond. In the cubicle, Evelyn screams, then realizes she’s back in the audit and says she has forgotten something at home. Deirdre gives her a deadline of 6 p.m. that evening.

P. 27–33. At the elevator, Evelyn sees Deirdre coming after them. She punches her, knocking her down. Evelyn finds the divorce papers but Alpha Waymond tells her he’s not the Waymond that wants to divorce her, he’s there to save her. Security guards arrive but Alpha Waymond fights them off. He carries Evelyn to the janitor’s closet.

p. 33–35. Outside the janitor’s closet, DEIRDRE BAGEL (black circle on her forehead) announces the arrival of JOBU TUPAKI, sovereign leader. Jobu clicks through different universes until she’s sitting next to Becky in a bar. It turns out that Jobu is Joy.

p. 35–40. Alpha Waymond pulls Evelyn through the IRS hallway. He explains that he is from the Alphaverse, the first universe to make contact with other universes and that Alpha Evelyn proved the existence of other universes. Alpha Waymond starts to teach this Evelyn how to jump verses, but they are interrupted by security guards. Alpha Waymond calls support to help find another universe to jump to. He tells a reluctant Evelyn that she is the only one that can stop the evil Jobu.

p. 40–42. Back in the audit cubicle Evelyn tries to tell Deirdre Bagel that she understands, but Alpha Waymond realizes Deirdre Bagel is verse jumping and pulls Evelyn away. Alpha Officers find a gymnast universe for Evelyn to jump to. Deirdre interrupts Alpha Waymond before he can jump verses, knocks him down the stairwell and blocks the door. Evelyn hides under a desk.

p. 42–48. Alpha Waymond calls Evelyn and tells her she must solo verse jump. Evelyn launches her jump too early and lands back in regular universe, sitting beside Waymond in their RV and looking at the divorce papers. In the cubicle universe, Evelyn tries to fight Deirdre but is easily overpowered. Evelyn tries to let Alpha Waymond in from the stairwell to help her, but he says she’s not the right Evelyn for this mission and leaves. In the stairwell, Evelyn confronts Waymond about leaving her — he thinks she means the divorce papers. Evelyn and Waymond begin to reconcile when Deirdre attacks them.

p. 48–50. Evelyn successfully jumps verses into one where she is a movie star who has learned martial arts. As a movie star, she sees she could have had a happy and successful life without Waymond. Back in the stairwell, Evelyn fights and overcomes Deirdre. Alpha Waymond returns and tells her that her defeat of Deirdre has gotten Jobu’s attention.

p. 51–54. Alpha Waymond tends Evelyn’s wounds. He explains that the Alphaverse had begun to train young people to jump verses. Evelyn had pushed one promising young student too hard: Jobu. Jobu’s mind fractured and she has no sense of morality or objective truth. He is convinced again that Evelyn is the one to stop Jobu.

p. 54–58. Evelyn, flattered by Alpha Waymond, is pulled back into the movie star universe, where she meets Waymond, a successful CEO. The fantasy is interrupted when Evelyn is detained by police officers at the IRS building. Alpha Waymond struggles with the officers and tells Evelyn to jump to another universe. Jobu enters and destroys the offices. Evelyn watches Jobu fight all of the police officers and realizes Jobu is her daughter.

p. 59–65. Evelyn blames Jobu for Joy’s tattoos, dropping out of college and being gay. She tries to jump verses to fight Jobu but is unsuccessful and winds up in hot dog universe, where everyone’s fingers are hot dogs-and she and Deirdre are in love. Jobu tricks Evelyn into a large white room with a dark swirling mass, like a black hole, that resembles a Bagel. Jobu says the truth is that nothing matters and that’s freeing. Something slams Jobu into the wall — it’s Alpha Gong Gong! — and he leads Evelyn and Alpha Waymond out of the white room.

p. 65–73. Meeting with Alpha Waymond and Alpha Gong Gong in an IRS office, Evelyn realizes that for her to kill the evil means killing her daughter. Alpha Waymond leaves to fight Jobu. Evelyn lets Joy in the conference room but ties her up for her protection. Evelyn tries to explain the multiverses to Joy and regular Waymond, but they laugh at her. Alpha Gong Gong tries to get Evelyn to kill Joy with a knife. Instead, Evelyn cuts her free. Alpha Gong Gong pulls a gun on Joy and Evelyn. He says Joy must die before she becomes just like Jobu. Alpha Gong Gong prepares to shoot Evelyn. Evelyn jumps to a janitor universe.

p. 73–77. Evelyn returns to IRS office, smashes Alpha Gong Gong’s gun. The door locks shut. Alpha Gong Gong calls for jumpers. Alpha Jumpers tell Evelyn she has violated Verse Jumping ethics and must surrender. The Alpha Jumpers lob tear gas into the vents. Evelyn uses a motorized feather to distract the Alpha Jumpers into nonsensical behavior. She accesses memories from an Opera Music universe. Inhaling to sing, Evelyn opens the IRS office door, grabs gas masks from Jumpers and throws them back to Joy and Waymond. Evelyn accesses more memories to defeat SWAT officers.

p. 77–81. Evelyn, Joy and Waymond hurry through cubicles. Evelyn uses skills from different universes to fight off Debbie Dog Face, an IT guy, and an Alpha Security Guard. Alpha Gong Gong attacks Evelyn, planning to use a grenade to blow them both up. Evelyn jumps verses and flicks the grenade away. Regular Gong Gong snores in his wheelchair. Alpha Waymond shows up to tell an exhausted Evelyn that she’s managed to make all of the multiverses angry.

p. 81–82. Jobu comes on Alpha Waymond in the Alphaverse RV. Back in the IRS office, Alpha Waymond tells Evelyn to hold fast to her beliefs. They start to kiss, but Alpha Waymond dies. Regular Waymond comes back to life. Jobu enters and Evelyn tells her she will kill her. Instead, Evelyn vomits and collapses. Waymond holds Evelyn’s dead body.

p. 83–85. “The End” flashes on the screen. In the “Movie star” universe, images from Evelyn’s various universes play on the screen. Evelyn has a breakdown, unable to make sense of all of her thoughts and universes.

p. 85–89. Evelyn returns to the regular Taxes universe. She puts a receipt in one pile but it splits and she’s in a universe where there’s a receipt in both piles. In the laundromat, the party is starting. Evelyn meets Joy, believing she is Jobu. And, she is. Jobu forces Evelyn through various universes, winding up back in the Wang apartment. Evelyn and Jobu fight but Evelyn realizes Jobu doesn’t really want to fight. She asks Jobu why she’s been looking for her.

p. 89–91. In the Alphaverse RV, Alpha Waymond and Jobu tell Evelyn that she’s really the one that destroyed the Alphaverse because the discovery of verse jumping led everyone to search for their own version of the truth and become more opinionated.

p. 91–98. Evelyn and Jobu are transported to the Temple Universe in a white hall where Evelyn is forced toward the Bagel. Jobu rips the hole off the Bagel and Evelyn sees scenes from several of her universes. She hangs up on Deirdre, throws shrimp at an abusive chef. In the Taxes universe, Evelyn signs the divorce papers and Deirdre arrives with policemen to seize the Wang’s assets. In the Temple universe, Jobu pushes Evelyn closer to the Bagel. Evelyn smashes the laundromat window. Jobu says that now Evelyn understands Jobu’s point that other universes are always screaming for your attention.

p. 98–101. Jobu and Evelyn are side by side, rocks in a rock universe. Jobu had partly hoped that Evelyn would convince her there’s some other way than experiencing everything.

p. 101–105.In the Temple Universe, Jobu tells Evelyn that she built the Bagel to see if she would die if she went in. Evelyn overhears Waymond talking to Deirdre. Evelyn returns to the laundromat in the Taxes universe. Deirdre is giving them a one-week extension. Evelyn sees Waymond in different universes and he tells her his kindness is not naivete, it’s how he learned to survive. In the Action Universe, Alpha Jumpers surround Evelyn. Evelyn and Waymond reconcile.

p. 105–109. Jobu pulls Evelyn away from Waymond, back into the Temple universe and pushes her toward the Bagel. Evelyn goes back to the Taxes universe and the IRS. Jobu starts up the stairs toward the Bagel, which is now above the IRS building. Evelyn steps in between Jobu and the stairs. Deirdre attacks Evelyn. Evelyn enters the Taxes universe, steps outside the laundromat to talk with Deirdre. Deirdre says she sees herself in Evelyn. Suddenly, the two women are in hot dog universe, in love. Back in action universe, Evelyn gives Deirdre a look of understanding, which stops Deirdre’s attack. In Taxes universe, Evelyn tells Deirdre she’s lovable.

p. 109–114. Jobu mounts the stairs toward the Bagel. Alpha Gong Gong has teamed up with Alpha Jumpers to keep Evelyn from stopping Jobu. Evelyn uses materials from the Taxes universe to turn all of the bullets shot at her into “googly” eyes. Harmless. Evelyn fights like Waymond: dodging kicks, turning a grenade into perfume spray, etc. Evelyn continues her progress, using skills from every universe she’s been in. Alpha Gong Gong is determined to stop Evelyn.

p. 114–117. Jobu continues up the stairs. Alpha Gong Gong crushes Evelyn against the banister. Evelyn tells Alpha Gong Gong she won’t do to her daughter what he did to her. Alpha Gong Gong loosens his grip and Evelyn. Evelyn reaches Jobu and joins Becky’s hand with Jobu’s, telling Gong Gong that the two are girlfriends.

p. 117–118. Jobu attacks Evelyn in several universes, telling her she doesn’t like the emotional manipulation. Alpha Gong Gong pulls Jobu and Evelyn back from the Bagel.

p. 119-. In the Taxes universe, Joy leaves the laundromat. She’s glad Evelyn is coming to greater self-understanding but feels they would benefit from time apart. Evelyn accepts this. In the Action universe, Jobu slips into the Bagel. In the Taxes universe, Evelyn tells Joy that she’s getting fat and doesn’t call often enough. She says maybe something will be discovered that explains why Joy (Jobu) went looking for her through the various universes. Joy and Evelyn reconcile.

p. 122. A montage of scenes of Evelyn and Deirdre in hot dog universe, Evelyn and Gong Gong singing opera, Waymond and Evelyn in movie star universe, etc.

p. 122-. Joy and Evelyn are back at Taxes universe at the New Year’s Even party. Waymond tears up the divorce papers. A choir sings “Barbie Girl.”

p. 123-. Becky drives Evelyn, Waymond, Gong Gong, and Joy to an audit appointment. Waymond and Evelyn tentatively hold hands and kiss. Evelyn listens serenely as Deirdre lists new tax infractions.

A trailer for the movie:

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown , go here.

Major kudos to Judith Sears for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown. Many thanks, Judith!

For 100+ movie scripts broken down scene by scene, go here.