Review - Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne's masterful performance makes The Theory of Everything worth a watch.

Made for each other...

 

Documentary filmmaker James Marsh's biopic The Theory of Everything is an elegant, polished production, with heartfelt performances by Eddie Redmayne as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife, Jane. The film focuses primarily on Hawking's relationship with his wife during his 30-year old marriage. 

The film starts with Hawking's years at Cambridge, where he is enrolled for Ph.D. He is a shy and an introvert fellow but obviously, has brilliant mind. During a party he meets Jane, who is studying arts. Jane is devout Catholic. Hawking is an atheist. She studies poetry and language, he studies black holes. Opposites attract, they say. And so they marry. Meanwhile, Stephen is diagnosed with motor neuron disease, which is destroying his neurons and leaving him paralytic every passing day. He's got only two years, the doctors say.

However, it turns out that doctors are wrong - Jane becomes Stephen's primary caretaker after marriage, while he discovers the vast secrets of the universe. His brain, ever racing, but his body denying everything. Jane stays with Stephen, gives birth to his three children, along taking care of him. But it is not as easy as it seems - the ever increasing responsibilities add extra burden on Jane's shoulders over the years.

The script by Anthony McCarten (also one of the producers), largely focuses on Stephen and Jane, but skims through the marvelous and ingenious work that Stephen has done. While at many times, I strongly felt that the film demanded more of Stephen's work to be presented onscreen, the storyline here is rather dull and formulaic. It proceeds like any other biopic about suffering genius and selfless wife (yes, it does somehow reminds me of A Beautiful Mind.) Also, there is hardly any conflict in relationship so to say. Everyone is nice, decent and composed. No one snaps. It is worth mentioning that the film is a based on a more recent memoir by Jane, which has skipped or positively transformed any arguments or clashes between her husband and herself, which were evident in her earlier memoir post divorce.

But what holds the fort here is outstanding performance by Eddie Redmayne - his physical transformation is worth thousand accolades. What is even more astonishing is that when his character looses his voice after the first half, his face - even with a smallest move - says so much. He not only looked like Stephen Hawking, he talked, walked and expressed like Hawking - or even better then him. That's a wonderful performance. Felicity Jones also leaves an impression, playing the good, helpful wife, but she was towered by Redmayne most of the time. 

Technically the film is extremely well-made, the cinematography is bright and vibrant and has fantasy-like feel to it and like all period films, is too polished. Music by Jóhann Jóhannsson is lovely and touching. It resembles works of Abel Korzeniowski and Shigeru Umebayashi, in a good way ofcourse.

The Theory of Everything is not a brilliant film by any means. It is, however, definitely worth a watch. It does gives some insight, no matter how fleeting, into the genious mind of Stephen Hawking. The marriage and relationship with his wife may feel a bit "made-up" and false, but there is no denying that Hawking could not have achieved great milestones without help and support of Jane. And there is bravo performance by Redmayne, who should win an Academy Award for his outstanding work.

3/5, 0.5 for performances - 3.5/5