The Healthy Masculinity of Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once
Dressed in an immaculate business suit and armed with a cigarette, in a scene reminiscent of Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece “In the Mood for Love”, Ke Huy Quan delivers the best performance of 2022, and a striking refusal of the hyper-masculine action heroes of today.
We jump across 4 separate universes. The IRS universe, where the forces of the Alphaverse and Evelyn clash, whilst Waymond begs Evelyn to be kind. The Movie Star universe, where Businessman Waymond rejects Evelyn even after years apart. The Laundromat Universe, where the Wangs are about to lose their Laundromat due to tax errors, and The Bagel Universe, where Jobu Tupaki / Joy nearly convinces Evelyn to join her in entering the bagel.
In the IRS universe, she stabs Waymond, and in the Bagel universe, she almost joins Jobu Tupaki in stepping into the bagel, but is distracted and ultimately swayed by IRS universe Waymond’s plea to be kind and for everyone to stop fighting.
In the Laundromat universe, Waymond manages to convince their tax agent Deirdre to give them another day. We are treated to a montage of Waymond and Evelyn’s happiest memories throughout the years, and finally in the Movie Star universe, businessman Waymond walks away, but turns around and says in Cantonese what is potentially the most romantic line in a movie ever:
“So, even though you have broken my heart again, I wanted to say; in another life, I would’ve really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”
We switch back to the Laundromat universe, where Waymond is cleaning up the mess caused by Evelyn smashing a window, humming along to a song. Evelyn stands up and hugs him, as Son Lux’s score crescendos. The broom Waymond holds clatters to the floor. A second montage, this time just of Waymond, is intercut with their embrace, showing Waymond crying to (presumably) a movie, holding a potted plant, smiling while shaking hands and putting googly eyes on a red lantern.
Finally, we cut back to the IRS universe where Evelyn and Waymond make up, crying and laughing together whilst kaleidoscopic colours circle their faces, and Evelyn releases her balled-up fist, symbolising her transition towards Waymond’s pacifist philosophy.
This emotional, dramatic sequence takes place over just five minutes, but is the climax of Waymond and Evelyn’s relationship and arc over the course of the movie. There are four moments that specifically matter in this scene.
1. You think I’m weak, don’t you?
“You think I’m weak, don’t you?”
In this speech, Businessman Waymond addresses not just Evelyn, but the audience. The line, You think I’m weak, don’t you? is as much spoken to Evelyn as it is to the audience. Throughout the film, Waymond is characterised weak, naïve, someone being blown around by life. He is the opposite of masculine, and avoids conflict as much as possible.
Before this scene, the audience expects Waymond to turn into some kind of action hero. Most movies would take that path, because that’s the expectation of audiences, for the final battle to be some sort of flashy, CGI-laden sequence, with epic music. Waymond would become more like Alphaverse Waymond, and kick butt. Everything Everywhere All At Once is not the type of movie to go down that path. Instead, we are treated to the next monologue of Waymond.
2. This Is How I Fight
“When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naïve. It is strategic and necessary. It’s how I learned to survive through everything. I know you see yourself as a fighter. Well, I see myself as one too. This is how I fight.”
It's in this scene where the audience realises that they are being shown Evelyn's point of view of Waymond being weak. However, Businessman Waymond’s philosophy is the same as IRS and Laundromat Waymonds’, that he chooses to see the good side of things because he believes it is strategic and necessary, and because of that he could solve problems that she never could.
Waymond is not weak because he is not masculine. He is strong because he chooses to not be the expectation of masculinity, he chooses pacifism above fighting and kung fu. He specifically rebutts the audience’s expectations of what he will become by the end of the film with metacommentary directed to hyper-masculinity in blockbusters.
3. Please, be kind
“Please, can we just stop fighting? I know you’re all fighting because you’re scared and confused. I’m confused too. All day, I don’t know what the heck is going on. But, somehow, this feels like it’s all my fault... The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Be kind, especially when we don’t know what’s going on.”
This next monologue is back in the IRS universe. The second part of Waymond’s philosophy is clearly shown here. All of us should choose kind, especially when we don’t know what’s going on. Waymond does not know what’s going on, none of them throughout the multiverses do, and yet he gives the thesis statement of the film that will define its second climax with Jobu Tupaki. To be kind.
It is because of Waymond that Jobu Tupaki is saved, not through kung fu and action scenes, but through speaking from the heart and being kind. Sure, there’s still “action”, but in the form of fighting with kindness.
4. Laundry and Taxes and a Million Tears
“In another life, I would’ve really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”
I saw Everything Everywhere on opening night. When we reached this scene, this line, you could collectively hear the entire theatre sobbing in their seats. This line is juxtaposed with Laundromat universe Waymond sweeping the laundromat, humming to himself. In every universe, Evelyn is shown her husband’s philosophy, and his simple wish to be kind and live a simple life.
This works so well because Businessman Waymond is, in Evelyn’s eyes, so much better off than IRS and Laundromat Waymond. But, by saying that all he wanted would be to do laundry and taxes with her, the exact thing that makes Evelyn miserable and wishing for another life, changes Evelyn’s perspective.
Alphaverse Waymond tells her that Laundromat and IRS Evelyn’s universe is the “worst” universe because she has not found success. However, all the other Waymonds prove her wrong. In the IRS and Laundromat universes, they may not be successful, but they are happy. And to Waymond, that’s all that matters.
5. Googly Eyes, Potted Plants and Sad Movies
Well, I lied. There’s one last part. This montage of Waymond crying to a sad movie, saying sorry whilst holding a potted plant, and putting googly eyes on a red lantern is the final nail in the coffin of audiences expectations for this to be a “normal” blockbuster action movie.
In this, Waymond does two things that are not characteristically masculine. Firstly, crying. Crying isn’t considered masculine by many, and if you’re a guy, and you cry, you’re labelled weak. Secondly, saying sorry. We don’t know the context around this scene, but we don’t need to. Once again, saying sorry isn’t considered masculine, and, again, it’s considered a weakness by most. To admit that you were wrong and that you are sorry.
But, because of how Waymond has been characterised in the last 5 minutes, the audience realises along with Evelyn that Waymond is not weak for crying or apologising. It’s just his version of quiet masculinity.
Why Waymond Matters
In another universe, Everything Everywhere All At Once is not as good. By the end of the movie, the lovable but naïve Waymond has become more akin to his Alphaverse counterpart - a badass, ass-kicking, kung-fu superstar. A epitome of masculinity. Jobu Tupaki is defeated and the day is saved. Waymond and Evelyn get back together on the basis that they are now both badass. In this universe, Everything Everywhere All At Once is praised for its visuals and humour, but criticised for being marvel-like. It recoups its budget at the box office, but does not make more than $30 million.
Thankfully, we live in the universe where Everything Everywhere All At Once held the 1st place spot on Letterboxd for a day or two and remains in the top 15 with a solid 4.5 star score. It is universally praised and expected to sweep the Oscars. What’s the difference between the Everything Everywhere of that alternate universe and ours? Waymond Wang’s masculinity.
Without it, we cannot have the immensely satisfying character arc of Evelyn as she adopts Waymond’s pacifist philosophy and fights with kindness. We can’t have Jobu Tupaki brought back through kindness. And, most importantly of all, we can’t have that 5 minute sequence establishing Waymond as one of the best written characters of 2022. Everything Everywhere All At Once’s success is wholly dependent on Waymond and his unique philosophy.
Furthermore, it also matters to film as a whole. By featuring front and centre a male character in an action movie no less, with a pacifist philosophy and a masculinity unlike anything else in theatres right now, it sends an important message to everyone watching: This is healthy masculinity.
In this day and age, where scam artists like Andrew Tate promote toxic masculinity, and find an audience using the same techniques as those who came before him, like Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro. Tate surrounds himself with a near cult-like following of teenage boys who are easily influenced and have fragile masculinities, and gives them something to blame and a cause to fight for.
Waymond Wang is a refutation of the hateful philosophies of Andrew Tate, and probably the most important character for influenceable teenage boys to see on screen right now. That’s why Waymond is so important.
Final Rating: 100/100 - Film of the Year
