The Theory of Everything
Don't Go! The theory of not really all that much.
Clever Oxbridge bloke has relationship.
Stephen "The Hawk" Hawking (I think that's right) is a legend of physics. Despite being diagnosed in 1963 with motor neurone disease and given just two years to live, he is still going strong and in the 52 years since his diagnosis he has produced some of the most renowned scientific texts in history, despite the horrendously debilitating physical effects of his illness. The Theory of Everything is a biopic of his fascinating life and times; guiding us from his able-bodied student days into his disabled international stardom. Or at least it should be...
Instead we are given a predominantly bland story of his relationship with his wife, which is only occasionally salvaged by the deeply impressive performance of Eddy Redmayne (Les Misérables) as Mr Hawking and the occasionally emotive punctuation of Mrs Hawking (Jane Wilde), ably played by Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spiderman 2).
Instead we are given a predominantly bland story of his relationship with his wife, which is only occasionally salvaged by the deeply impressive performance of Eddy Redmayne (Les Misérables) as Mr Hawking and the occasionally emotive punctuation of Mrs Hawking (Jane Wilde), ably played by Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spiderman 2).
The problem with this film is that although that Stephen Hawking is a unique character and global icon, it turns out that while he is a genius burdened with a terrible disease, his personal life beyond that simply isn't interesting enough to warrant 123 consecutive minutes of storytelling. This seems largely because the script was drawn from Jane Wilde's memoirs (Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen) and focuses on the couple's relationship rather than Mr Hawking himself. The point being that Stephen Hawking was not made extraordinary by his illness - he already was that. What the illness did was threaten to take his genius away. Which it didn't. What the illness did do was make his marriage challenging; particularly for his wife. While it is heartening to see a film about disability and the difficulties faced by MND sufferers and their families (whether famous or not); in this instance, the story of a privileged, well-spoken Englishman who was already a genius and who continued to be after his illness simply isn't sufficiently compelling for an international cinema release. It's all a bit drab, predictable and lacking in intrigue.
That said, Redmayne's Best Actor Golden Globe win in January and his #nom for the corresponding Oscar is certainly justifiable; if only for the physical extent of his acting. His embodiment of Stephen Hawking is truly remarkable, and such is the magnitude of Redmayne's commitment to the role (and a surprisingly similar face) it is occasionally difficult not to see this as a documentary featuring the man himself. Jones also delivers a strong and tender performance, so between the two of them, in spite of the pedestrian storyline, the film is salvaged from becoming a black hole of entertainment and made sufficiently watchable by occasional moments of true sincerity that may even prick a tear into the well of your eye.
So there is value in this film, particularly because of its two leads - young and talented English actors who have confirmed their ability to the world. But aside from that, the film is left with the kind of value that is best enjoyed on a TV that you have already paid a licence fee for.
Don't go, but wait to see The Theory of Everything from the comfort of your couch, when you can chat to someone or make tea through the boring bits.
So there is value in this film, particularly because of its two leads - young and talented English actors who have confirmed their ability to the world. But aside from that, the film is left with the kind of value that is best enjoyed on a TV that you have already paid a licence fee for.
Don't go, but wait to see The Theory of Everything from the comfort of your couch, when you can chat to someone or make tea through the boring bits.
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