The Theory of Everything
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
'The Theory of Everything' (directed by James Marsh) is a "good" biopic about a remarkable man and includes 2 superb performances. Those audiences looking for a chronology of the life of Stephen Hawking from 1963-2000 will definitely find it here. However, though the film's photography is beautiful, and while the music is lovely, & while the aforementioned performances sing ... the TELLING of Hawking's story kinda rushes through key moments, & feels a tad perfunctory on the whole; too "surfacey". But I digress for now. At age 72, Stephen Hawking has defied the odds. Diagnosed 50 yrs. ago with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), he has not only extended his death sentence by some 48 yrs., but he has also been able (despite his illness) to alter fundamental scientific views about Cosmology & Time.
We first meet Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) as a brilliant 22 yr. old Cambridge grad student who doesn't quite know which 'subject' to specialize in. Hawking is a bit disheveled, a bit clumsy, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing a relationship with pretty liberal arts major, Jane (Felicity Jones). As the two fall in love (lovely romantic scenes involving lights, fireworks, & a bridge), Hawking's interests gravitate toward the study of black holes & the origins of the universe. But then he's struck with ALS. His brain functions remain intact, but control over his body quickly deteriorates; and doctors give him 2(!) yrs. to live. Jane stays true to the love of her life. Despite his health/depression, the two marry and, over time, have 3 children. Hawking becomes confined to a wheelchair and, after an emergency tracheotomy, loses his voice altogether. Caring for Hawking becomes too much for Jane to handle. She seeks help from others, including friendly, handsome church singer, Jonathan (Charlie Cox), & attractive full-time nurse, Elaine (Maxine Peake). Drama, romantic entanglements, & scientific miracles ensue.
This is an enjoyable film. Easy to watch. Gentle. And best of all, it improves as it goes. There are several scenes of scientific explaiiiiining & groundbreaking theorizing going on, but those scenes are kept mercifully short (the last thing you want is an indecipherable movie -- we're all not scientists). We know Hawking is a brilliant astrophysicist and, the narrative keeps that succinct. Instead, the story is based mostly on Jane's memoirs. So rather than concentrating on physics, the focus is more on the real-life difficulties encountered by Jane & Stephen; difficulties that eventually ended their marriage (though, they remain friends, today).
Eddie Redmayne's eloquent portrayal of Hawking is getting awards buzz and ... I now see why. This is the kind of striking physical transformation that the Academy loves (remember Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot?). Redmayne conveys Hawking's brilliance, courage, tenacity, as well as a painful rendering of the man's slow physical degeneration. By the end of the movie, Redmayne (who I also loved in Les Miserables) is acting with little more than his twisted face yet, despite those limitations, he conveys the emotion & understanding of how Hawking's incredible brain continued to function. In many ways, 'The Theory of Everything' is more about Jane's struggle than her husband's and, to that point, Felicity Jones gives a beautiful performance as Hawking's loyal, emotionally-battered wife. In the beginning, she's convinced that their love will be enough to endure every trial. But by the end (and bring your tissues for one particular scene), she must admit defeat.
One of the issues 'TToE' has is that all the real-life characters are presented as decent human beings. There's little human conflict outside of Hawking's dabilitating, deadly disease. Even when Jane falls in love with her church choir master (Charlie Cox provides a warm, amiable portrayal), their relationship actually makes sense; ditto Stephen and his full-time nurse -- we understand why the relationships end up as they do. And so, despite the film's obvious strengths (acting, visuals, Johann Johannsson’s music, inspirational), there is little at stake, & the execution of the story lacks innovation. Having said that, as I mentioned before, there is a steady build to the proceedings (the 2nd half is better than the 1st). And I won't soon forget the incredible lead performances that bring dimension to the wheelchair-bound genius & his wife.
We first meet Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) as a brilliant 22 yr. old Cambridge grad student who doesn't quite know which 'subject' to specialize in. Hawking is a bit disheveled, a bit clumsy, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing a relationship with pretty liberal arts major, Jane (Felicity Jones). As the two fall in love (lovely romantic scenes involving lights, fireworks, & a bridge), Hawking's interests gravitate toward the study of black holes & the origins of the universe. But then he's struck with ALS. His brain functions remain intact, but control over his body quickly deteriorates; and doctors give him 2(!) yrs. to live. Jane stays true to the love of her life. Despite his health/depression, the two marry and, over time, have 3 children. Hawking becomes confined to a wheelchair and, after an emergency tracheotomy, loses his voice altogether. Caring for Hawking becomes too much for Jane to handle. She seeks help from others, including friendly, handsome church singer, Jonathan (Charlie Cox), & attractive full-time nurse, Elaine (Maxine Peake). Drama, romantic entanglements, & scientific miracles ensue.
This is an enjoyable film. Easy to watch. Gentle. And best of all, it improves as it goes. There are several scenes of scientific explaiiiiining & groundbreaking theorizing going on, but those scenes are kept mercifully short (the last thing you want is an indecipherable movie -- we're all not scientists). We know Hawking is a brilliant astrophysicist and, the narrative keeps that succinct. Instead, the story is based mostly on Jane's memoirs. So rather than concentrating on physics, the focus is more on the real-life difficulties encountered by Jane & Stephen; difficulties that eventually ended their marriage (though, they remain friends, today).
Eddie Redmayne's eloquent portrayal of Hawking is getting awards buzz and ... I now see why. This is the kind of striking physical transformation that the Academy loves (remember Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot?). Redmayne conveys Hawking's brilliance, courage, tenacity, as well as a painful rendering of the man's slow physical degeneration. By the end of the movie, Redmayne (who I also loved in Les Miserables) is acting with little more than his twisted face yet, despite those limitations, he conveys the emotion & understanding of how Hawking's incredible brain continued to function. In many ways, 'The Theory of Everything' is more about Jane's struggle than her husband's and, to that point, Felicity Jones gives a beautiful performance as Hawking's loyal, emotionally-battered wife. In the beginning, she's convinced that their love will be enough to endure every trial. But by the end (and bring your tissues for one particular scene), she must admit defeat.
One of the issues 'TToE' has is that all the real-life characters are presented as decent human beings. There's little human conflict outside of Hawking's dabilitating, deadly disease. Even when Jane falls in love with her church choir master (Charlie Cox provides a warm, amiable portrayal), their relationship actually makes sense; ditto Stephen and his full-time nurse -- we understand why the relationships end up as they do. And so, despite the film's obvious strengths (acting, visuals, Johann Johannsson’s music, inspirational), there is little at stake, & the execution of the story lacks innovation. Having said that, as I mentioned before, there is a steady build to the proceedings (the 2nd half is better than the 1st). And I won't soon forget the incredible lead performances that bring dimension to the wheelchair-bound genius & his wife.