Stephen Hawking, being one of the most extraordinary minds of the last 50 years, has many contributions in the field of physics. Despite his affliction with motor neuron disease, he continues to impress the world with his boundless intelligence.
In director James Marsh’s biographical drama, “The Theory of Everything,” he chronicles the relationship between Stephen and his wife, Jane, as they deal with the challenges of his illness.
Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) is a physicist studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. One night at a party, he meets Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), a literature student, and they form a passionate bond. When Hawking visits the doctor after experiencing a fall on campus, he learns that he has MND. Despite being told he only has about two years to live, Hawking strives to continue his scientific work, choosing to focus on time and the history of the universe, while also maintaining a marriage with Jane, and he eventually lives beyond the limit that was expected of him. Over the years, Hawking’s journey will lead him into becoming a world-renown genius.
Eddie Redmayne gives the most physically dedicated performance of the year. During the time both before and after Stephen is diagnosed, Redmayne becomes Hawking, and his portrayal of this academic icon is deeply respectful.
One of the most heartbreaking scenes for Stephen is when he’s trying to get up the stairs in his house and has to crawl, having completely lost his ability to walk. As he’s doing this, he sees his infant son looking at him from the top of the stairs behind a protective baby-gate. The scene is as sad as it is because it pairs Stephen’s son, who is in his pre-ambulatory state, with his father, who is now in the process of losing his ambulatory abilities.
Just like that aforementioned scene, there are other moments that show you what Mr. Hawking went through with his illness, but when you see him experience his academic achievements, you feel absolutely thrilled for him for overcoming his challenges and having the opportunity to share his gifted brain with the world.
Felicity Jones wonderfully shows Jane’s determination to see her husband succeed, and it speaks a lot about the love between them. With Jones’ performance, we get an idea of how much care she provided for Stephen and the lengths she went through to make sure he would continue his work. When Jane first hears about Stephen’s ailment, her inner strength immediately comes out as she refuses to leave his side, and Jones exhibits a strong sense of tenderness in the role.
What I appreciated most about Anthony McCarten’s screenplay is that, because it’s based on Jane Wilde Hawking’s memoir, “Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen,” the story focuses equally on both Jane and Stephen. It has a sufficient amount of Stephen’s scientific work throughout, so we’re able to see the far reach of his brilliance, but it mainly sets out to tell the story of Jane and Stephen’s marriage and how it was impacted by his disability. Between the scenes of Stephen and Jane living their lives together and of Stephen working through his illness to achieve his scientific goals, the film is a pretty engaging combination of a love story and an underdog story.
Although there are a few spots in the film that seem noticeably crafted to be Oscar bait, director James Marsh is able to get strong performances out of his two leads to help the film rise above this issue. With Marsh’s handling of the material, what could have turned out to be a biopic that tries too hard is really a movie that succeeds in telling the story that it wants to tell.
“The Theory of Everything” is a loving account of Stephen and Jane Hawking and the life and affection they shared.
Final grade: A-
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