Plot:Based on Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking. The film examines the relationship between famed scientist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones).
The Theory of Everything, the latest film from James Marsh (Man on Wire) is a brilliantly told story of the early years of Stephen Hawking, the physicist responsible for the bestselling book A Brief History of Time’s life and career. Unlike the common biographical film, The Theory of Everything refrains from seeming melodramatic and slow-paced in fact it is anything but.
The two hour and fifteen minute cinematic piece from Focus Features (the studio behind indie hits such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Dallas Buyer’s Club) tells the heartbreaking story of Stephen Hawking’s diagnosis with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and his wife and family’s struggle to care for him. Equal parts love story and equal parts biopic, Marsh’s piece is simply enchanting to watch though some parts certainly tug at one’s heart strings.
The film recounts the first twenty-something-odd years of Stephen Hawking’s career, beginning with his time at Cambridge prior to his terminal medical diagnosis. The film explores the romantic relationship between the acclaimed scientist and his wife, Jane Wilde. From their courtship as young college students to their eventual marriage and their eventual divorce, Everything follows their turbulent relationship as Hawking’s medical condition steadily worsens. The film is more so told through the eyes of Jane Wilde which makes the story even more tender and heartbreaking.
Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn, Les Miserables) is sure to earn an Oscar nod for his ridiculously impressive performance as Stephen Hawking. While Redmayne has gained a cult-like following amongst the Tumblr blogging community thanks to his Les Mis fame, The Theory of Everything is sure to solidify the young British actor a definite position in Hollywood. It is very apparent that Redmayne did his research in preparation for this challenging role. His performance is so authentic that one often forgets that Stephen Hawking himself is actually not in the film. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy, The Amazing Spider-man 2) is stunning as Hawking’s loving wife, Jane. Like her leading man, Jones gives a performance that could rival that of a young Meryl Streep. The two have wonderful chemistry and play wonderfully off of each other.
Bottom Line: The Theory of Everything is sure to please fans of biopics, genuine love stories and dramatic performances. I personally think that the film is sure to earn a few Golden Globe nominations and it may even earn a Best Picture nomination. Though even if the Academy doesn’t take note of this wonderful piece it is still worth viewing if not for Redmayne’s performance alone.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
The Theory of Everything is currently playing in select theaters.
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Mallory Delchamp is a writer, model, and performer living in Manhattan. You can routinely read her film and music reviews here on Pop-Break and you can also check out her work on zumic.com and nytheatreguide.com. A social media and pop culture enthusiast, Mallory also enjoys musical theatre, superhero films, and drinking coffee. You can visit Mallory at her website, www.mallorydelchamp.com
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