2014 | Dir. James Marsh | 123 Minutes
"However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope."
Chronicling the relationship between world-renowned cosmologist Stephen Hawking and his first wife Jane Wilde Hawking, The Theory of Everything is more about the challenge of keeping a marriage together than it is about astrophysics or Hawking's struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Based on Jane's memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, while the film spends an appropriate (or more accurately, obligatory) amount of time focused on Stephen's scientific breakthroughs and accomplishments, it's heart lies in scenes depicting the difficulties faced by the couple with Stephen's rise in fame and his deteriorating physical condition.
Unfolding like many biographical pictures, the film's narrative spans from Stephen and Jane falling in love at Cambridge University to their separation shortly before the release of A Brief History of Time. As interesting as the subject is, the pacing of this film can feel slightly plodding at times, as if checking off each major event in the lives of the Hawkings. What truly carries the film is the strength of its two lead actors.
Eddie Redmayne is phenomenal as Stephen Hawking, delivering a breakout performance that is truly worthy of praise, physically transforming himself with nuance and never parody. Felicity Jones shines as Jane, bringing incredible range to the role, as captivating playing Jane in her youth, bright and playful, as she is by the final reel, weary and emotionally defeated. Rounding out the cast is David Thewlis as Stephen's instructor at Cambridge, Charlie Cox as Stephen's one-time caretaker and eventually Jane's second husband, and Emily Watson in a small part as Jane's mother.
Suffering from narrative drawbacks typical of most life story films, the most captivating aspect of this picture is the fascinating lives of its subjects and the talent on display from the actors portraying them. More effective as a love story than as a straightforward biopic, The Theory of Everything is a worthwhile experience for the performances alone.
FRAGMENTS
- Shortly after viewing this film, I watched the Wachowski's Jupiter Ascending featuring Eddie Redmayne as an over-the-top intergalactic aristocrat, not so much chewing the CGI-scenary but devouring it whole
- Watching David Thewlis play another brilliant and supportive academic instructor, I can't help but be reminded of Professor Remus Lupin, one of my very favorite Harry Potter characters
- Good to see Harry Lloyd in a small part in this one - perhaps best known to American audiences as Viserys Targaryen, Daenerys' hateful brother on Game of Thrones
MCU CONENCTIONS
- Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home)
