Everything Everywhere 7 at Once, Yeoh sets record

Everything Everywhere All at Once won the coveted best picture trophy at the Academy Awards on Sunday as Hollywood embraced an off-kilter story about a Chinese-American family working out their problems across multiple dimensions.

- LISA RICHWINE

The movie claimed seven awards overall, including three of the four acting Oscars for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Yeoh played the lead role of a stressed-out laundromat owner who finds she has superpowers in alternate universes.

"For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities," the 60-year-old Malaysian said on stage after becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress. "And ladies, don't let anybody ever tell you you are ever past your prime."

Everything Everywhere was an improbable winner as a film that strayed far from traditional storytelling to spin a tale about a family at odds. The kung fu adventure was filled with oddities such as people with hot dogs for fingers and a chef with a raccoon under his hat. Plastic googly eyes and a giant everything bagel also played important roles.

Quan, a one-time child star who gave up acting for two decades, won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Yeoh's disgruntled husband in a family grappling with a tax audit that threatens their business.

A weeping Quan, who was born in Vietnam, kissed his gold Oscar statuette as he held it on stage in front of the biggest names in show business.