Explore Kayci Lacob’s heartfelt coming-of-age story set in early 2000s tech culture, featuring standout performances, beautiful cinematography, and moments that will leave you reflecting on life and ambition.
I was born in 1980. That means I graduated high school in 1998 — the same year the first iMac was released. When I started college that fall, I was using a hand-me-down MacBook that had a broken hinge. I literally used a black metal bookend to keep the screen from falling down. There wasn’t anything wrong with the way the computer part functioned, just the broken hinge. So, I made it work.
Later that year, I decided to transfer to a different school, and when I did, I ordered an iMac. That was the first computer I bought with my own money. Fast-forward 9 years later, and I was re-entering college — this time to complete my master’s degree. One course I took a particular interest in was Marketing. I have a background in communications, and I really latched onto the study of marketing strategy. The big project in that course? Create a marketing plan for a product that doesn’t have one. We were allowed to pick a product that was real or make one up. I chose the iPhone.
I said all that to say this: Apple has been an integral part of my life for most of my life. Even before college, my dad hauled Macintosh computers into our basement to run his video production company. I followed the company and am still an avid fan and user of the products.
Everything to Me is my story as much as it is writer/director Kayci Lacob’s. It’s a personal coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Silicon Valley in Steve Jobs’s heyday. The movie opens in what feels like present day, but the main action of the movie takes place between 1998-2011. It tells the story of Claudia and follows her life from middle school to college. How is this different from any other coming-of-age story? Claudia is obsessed with Steve Jobs. The movie is loosely based on Director Kayci Lacob’s life growing up amid Apple’s rise and surrounding tech culture.
Since I was a young adult at the same time as this movie was set, it was the perfect balance of storytelling and nostalgia for me. There were little whispers of current events that just hit memory markers for me. I thought it was brilliant how those events were sprinkled in without taking over the movie. For example, in one of the early scenes of the movie, Claudia is running into the living room to find her parents staring at the TV. All you hear at first is the audio, and I recognized it right away as September 11, 2001. The family stands and stares at the TV for just a moment before the scene changes. All the action literally stops, just like everything stopped that morning. The nostalgic moments throughout the movie are like that. They just blend so well with the rest of the story that it really connected with me.
The main story spoke to me too. There are big life moments that Lacob didn’t shy away from, which I applaud her for. The relationship between Claudia and her parents is raw, emotional, and real. The relationship between Claudia and her childhood best friend, Lucy, is real. They make promises to each other that are hard to keep, and as they get older, the reality of what their friendship evolves to is extremely authentic.
I loved that there were big moments that were barely foreshadowed, and that made them even more impactful. There are so many times that a big event is led up to for a long time that you see it coming a mile away. But that’s not authentic to how those events happen in life. I feel like Lacob did a fantastic job showing how those big life moments smack you straight in the face when you are least expecting it.
The Performances
The performances by the cast were outstanding as well. The cast is made up of a lot of unknown names, but I recognized Judy Greer (Claudia’s mom) right away. Her performance is one to be proud of. Again, it’s raw and it’s real. Utkarsh Ambudkar plays Mr. Shine, Claudia’s mentor/favorite teacher. His IMDB page has a lot of history on it, but I recognized him from Pitch Perfect. He did a great job making his teacher affection come off as genuine and not creepy. Claudia’s personality is such that she gets hyper-focused on being the best rather than being her, which is the crux of the entire film. Mr. Shine brings her back to Earth probably better than anyone else in the film.
Now, let’s talk about Claudia and Lucy. Because the action of the film spans more than a decade, there is more than one actress that plays both roles. Lucy is portrayed by Lola Flanery and Ella Gibson, while Claudia is played by four actresses, Abigail Donaghy, Eliza Donaghy, Hazeleigh Wages (toddler), and Victoria Pedretti. Pedretti is the adult version of Claudia, so the resemblance between her and the two younger actresses is less apparent, but I have to give major kudos to casting director Lily Trotter for finding such amazing look-alikes. The two younger actresses who play Claudia are sisters, but the two who play Lucy are not, and the resemblance is uncanny. At first, I didn’t think it was different people. The performers do a wonderful job conveying some really difficult emotions and mimicking each other to keep the characters consistent across the movie. I definitely want to give Lacob her flowers in directing these performances. I felt like all the performances were en pointe.
The Movie Magic
The movie was beautifully shot and put together. I love the look that Lacob applied to the footage, and cinematographer Shasta Spahn did a fabulous job capturing the shots in such a way that they really enhanced the storytelling.
The music used throughout the movie was wonderful. The songs that were used reminded me a lot of what Apple uses in their advertising without them being ripoffs of that, and the melodies just fit.
Now, I don’t want someone reading this to think this isn’t a real review. So, here’s what I would change. I wanted more. I wanted more story to fill in the gaps of some of the turning points of the film. For example, there are secondary friend characters that sort of just appear. I would have loved to see Claudia’s connection with them a bit more. There is a particularly poignant moment between Claudia and Meera that any young woman can relate to, and while Meera does appear in the background in other scenes, I would have loved to see how that relationship with Claudia developed after that. I’m not saying I want to see the movie extended to three hours long, but a little more here and there would really round out some of the story. I thought the pacing was perfect and nothing seemed to drag on too long.
Conclusion
I come from a film-loving family. Our family movie nights always ended up turning into trivia battles at dinner, and my dad made sure that we had a proper education about what goes on behind the scenes to make a movie. My dad also taught me that if a movie sticks with you for at least three days, it’s good. Everything to Me feels like it’s part of my soul now. The last scene of the movie got me, and it left me sobbing because I felt it. When you see it, you’ll understand what I mean.
Everything to Me is now showing at select theaters in the U.S. You can find tickets by going to everythingtomemovie.com or clicking this link.
Hence then, the article about everything to me movie review a nostalgic emotional journey through silicon valley was published today ( ) and is available on MacSources ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Everything to Me MOVIE REVIEW A Nostalgic, Emotional Journey Through Silicon Valley )
Also on site :
- My Big Family Once Formed the Backbone of My Life. Then, We Discovered My Sister’s Horrific Actions. Now Nothing Is the Same.
- Royal Caribbean Extends Pause at Private Caribbean Resort Through 2026—Here’s What Cruisers Are Getting Instead
- ‘Beloved’ Woodford Reserve Bourbon Is Back Nationwide