The Theory of Everything (2014)

Recently I was able to watch another movie that has also received some buzz over the past year. James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything received multiple nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score.theory

If you don’t know, The Theory of Everything is a biopic about the life and work of Stephen Hawking beginning with his college years at Cambridge University. At the start of the movie young Hawking is struggling with a topic for his thesis and he soon meets a girl named Jane who he pursues a relationship with. Soon after, he attends a lecture on black holes and decides to write his thesis on time and the formation of the universe. During his research, he notices his muscles begin to fail him and is later diagnosed with motor neuron disease. (a.k.a. ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) and is told he likely has two years to live. As he becomes depressed by this news and focuses on his work, Jane comes to him and says she still wants to be with him. The pair starts a family and Stephen becomes a world-renowned physicist. During this time Jane begins to feel the pressures of taking care of Stephen, the children, and working on her own career, which is where the conflict begins.

I was definitely captivated by this movie. I’ve always liked biopics, even if they sometimes take too much creative license to be called historically accurate. In fact, the thing that most people found to be the least accurate part of the film was Stephen’s personality, which is apparently a lot less compassionate in real life.

Nonetheless, The Theory of Everything had some great acting moments, especially from Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking as a man slowly succumbing to a debilitating disease extraordinarily. Redmayne even went on to sweep his category in most of the big awards shows for Best Leading Actor. However, even though Redmayne ended up getting all the glory, Felicity Jones’s performance as Jane Hawking should not be overlooked. In a way, I thought her pain and conflict was a lot more accessible and relatable than Stephen’s, who is afflicted with a condition that most people cannot possibly begin to understand.Eddie-redmayne-stephen-hawking-theory-of-everything-517613

Overall, The Theory of Everything was a good, entertaining movie. I don’t think it was especially deserving of the Best Picture award, but it certainly served as a great vehicle to showcase some great acting. 3.5 stars from me.

3.5

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