The Gist: The story of how world renown physicist Stephen Hawking met his future wife Jane, found out about his terrible illness, and kept on doing what he loved to do in spite of the setbacks.
The Theory of Everything is one of those “minor” movies that open a small window on someone’s life that sometimes turn out to be unforgettable thanks to one or more extraordinary performances.
Here not a single performance is flawed, but of course it is Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones who tower above everyone else. Jones is strong and contained but no matter how good she is, she’s always eclipsed by Redmayne.
Eddie Redmayne took home the Best Actor Oscar (along with a slew of other awards) and very much deservedly so. Towards the end it looked like Michael Keaton was going to beat him for his turn in Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), but I’m glad it didn’t happen.
One might say that portrayals of people with disabilities like this one end up winning all the awards and so become stereotypical, but when one sees the work Redmayne has done on screen all I have to say is, Who cares!! His was hands down an unforgettable performance and he deserved the Oscar for it.
A clear example is from a particular scene towards the end when Redmayne has a daydream in which he gets up from his wheelchair and starts walking. The shift from the Hawking we all know to the one who could have been is amazing. Hands down a fantastic actor.
The Bottom Line: The Theory of Everything is a wonderful movie for the story it tells, the way it tells it, and the performances on screen. A must see.
Grade: 9
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