The Theory of Everything Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Theory of Everything
Year: 2014
Director: James Marsh
Country: UK
Language: English

Stephen Hawking's story is inspiring- he is one of the most brilliant men to have ever lived, and he also battled motor neuron disease. Given only two years to live, he defied the odds and is currently living more than fifty years after his initial diagnosis. Unfortunately he is bound by a wheelchair, unable to speak without the use of a voicebox. I was introduced to his work when I watched the Errol Morris documentary A Brief History of Time, and even though his theories stretch far beyond my scientific knowledge, I find the man quite compelling.

The Theory of Everything is the story of mainstream pop culture physicist icon Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), the arts student he fell in love with whilst studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. They marry, Hawking gets his life threatening disease and their marriage slowly becomes engulfed in turmoil.

Redmayne plays Hawking very well. He perfectly embodies a man with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS, and thus every movement seemed honest. It did not seem like the actor was chewing the scenery, nor was he under-acting, Hawking must have been going through hell during this time in his life. I have a physical disability that limits my movement, but not in the way Hawking does, not even close. Early scenes with Redmayne and Jones show that these two actors have great chemistry with each other, but unfortunately this isn't enough to make the film "good".

For a picture about an ingenious scientist who was a revolutionary in physics, there is nothing "revolutionary" about it. The Theory of Everything is rather bland and formulaic, certainly seems like a film made solely for Oscar season. There is plenty of emotion, but a lack of drama and depth. We get a glimpse of Hawking and Jane's marriage, but we don't fully understand how difficult it must have been to raise children while the father has a debilitating disease which may take his life at any moment. Even the extra-marital affairs seem to wrap themselves up in a tidy way. 

In conclusion, I doubt The Theory of Everything will win any awards come Oscar night, though Eddie Redmayne does have a chance at "Best Actor". You've seen this type of  "tortured genius" film many times before, often done significantly better (A Beautiful Mind) If I could I'd skip it. Certainly not an essential. 3/5