The Theory Of Everything (2015) - Film Review

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox & Maxine Peake

Screenplay: Anthony McCarten

Directed By: James Marsh

Certificate: 12

 

Just looking at a poster for The Theory Of Everything, it's clear that the film has received a lot of love and praise and it knows exactly how to flaunt all its five star ratings. The Stephen Hawking biopic, adapted from Jane Hawking's book Travelling To Infinity, has also been nominated for nearly every award under the sun, winning BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Eddie Redmayne's lead performance taking home the Oscar for Best Actor. However if you watch the trailers for The Theory Of Everything, this may not be a total surprise as it does look like the type of film that's designed to win big during the awards season. So do we have a film that's just got its eyes fixed on awards, or is there something better and more genuine than that?

 

The Theory Of Everything re-tells the meeting of Stephen and Jane Hawking during their time together at Cambridge University, and their subsequent married life together. As Stephen's relationship with Jane blossoms, and as he begins to write his astrophysics thesis, he learns that he has motor neurone disease – a condition that will paralyse him and leave him unable to talk. Given just two years to live, Stephen becomes reclusive which eventually prompts Jane to confess that she loves him and vows to stay by his side. The two marry and as Stephen lives far past the two years he was given to live, he earns his doctorate and starts a family together.

 

Seeing as it's become the main talking point of The Theory Of Everything, let's first address Eddie Redmayne's leading performance. It doesn't take long to see why it's attracted so much attention, and it cannot go unsaid that his performance here is nothing short of brilliant, bringing out some of his career-best work. The role of Stephen Hawking was always going to require a two-pronged approach and need an actor that could bring out both his personality, as well as his gradual loss of physicality. Thankfully Eddie Redmayne is capable of both, and elicits some genuine emotion out of the audience as his physical movements slowly deteriorate. As the film draws closer and closer to the credits, it gets to a point where the actor can only communicate through his eyes and very limited facial movements, and the fact that still so much gets put across this way is simply amazing. Through a combination of brilliant performance and an equally brilliant screenplay, Stephen Hawking's personality is done just as much justice too, and his famous wit and sense of humour comes across well. However, while Eddie Redmayne's role cannot be overlooked, one character hasn't been done anywhere near as much justice, and that's Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking. It's a real shame that Felicity Jones, for whatever reason, hasn't been able to garner as much media and awards attention, as her contribution to the film is enormous. While she had been nominated for these awards, it's a shame that appropriately the only one that was won was 'The Invisible Woman Award' from the Women Film Critics Circle. As with any romance, it's a tale of two halves and while Jane is key to The Theory Of Everything's romance story, Felicity Jones brings to the role a warmth and endurance that really shape the character into an engaging lead.

 

While there's no denying that The Theory Of Everything practically belongs to Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, it would be wrong to look past the supporting cast backing them up. Most of the supporting roles are relatively small, but important nonetheless, with the immediate standout being Charlie Cox as Jane's second husband, Jonathan. The fact that Jonathan comes across as someone so likeable and genuine goes a long way in making sure the audience don't feel bitterness towards him or Jane when they later enter a relationship together. Other great appearances come from Emily Watson as Jane's mother, Maxine Peake as Stephen's nurse and second wife, Elaine, as well as David Thewlis as Stephen's mentor at university. There's also the consistently and criminally underrated Harry Lloyd as one of Stephen's friends from university. Again the role may not be massive, but as usual he does a great and under-appreciated job with what he's given.

 

However, the thing that elevates The Theory Of Everything from a good, well-acted movie into an incredible, well-acted movie lies in the screenplay. Rather than the awards-bait tale of romance that the trailers seemed to promote, The Theory Of Everything instead provides a vastly more complex and nuanced relationship story than you may at first think. While I'm an optimist and a romantic at heart, and I enjoy a decent love story, I'm a realist too, enough for me to admit that sometimes, not often, but sometimes … love just can't win on its own. The story of Stephen Hawking is an inspirational one: a man with one of the most advanced minds in a generation given just two years to live, yet surpassed that completely, got married and started a family. Yet for Jane, this takes its toll. Jane becomes Stephen's full-time carer, whilst having to raise a family at the same time and sacrifice her own dreams and goals. Even their personal outlooks on life differ, with Stephen having a strictly scientific mind as opposed to Jane's religious background. She may completely love Stephen and their children, but she's not a saint and not perfect: she has regrets and even falls for another man. It's a very honest and realistic portrayal, and as I've said, the warm performances from Felicity Jones and Charlie Cox prevent the audience from feeling any hostility towards them. Ultimately the love between Stephen and Jane doesn't win or survive, but The Theory Of Everything is still far from being a sad story, and it's a rather bittersweet feeling that you're left with by the time the credits roll.

 

As with nearly any biopic that gets a cinematic release, one of the main sources of criticism levied at The Theory Of Everything concerns its historical accuracy. My response to this is the same as ever: any biopic that re-tells the story of a famous event or person is going to take creative liberties to generate certain responses. It's inevitable and unless it's obvious, goes too far or is sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb lying, then it doesn't bother me too much. The Theory Of Everything is apparently guilty of quite a bit of this, with the real Stephen Hawking supposedly being nowhere near as sensitive as he's portrayed to be here, but whilst watching, I can't say it ever affected my enjoyment of the film. Personally, the only change I would perhaps make to the film is to put a bit more focus on the science and include a bit more of Stephen's work. I understand that isn't what the film is principally concerned with, and I can't imagine many people are on the same intellectual level as Stephen Hawking (I know I'm certainly not!), but when you have a film where he's the protagonist, it feels unnatural to have such little focus on his work and discoveries.

 

However I will say that The Theory Of Everything, from a production perspective, does justify its existence as a feature-length cinematic release. In my experience, many biopics set in the post-WWII 20th Century, especially in the UK, are sometimes better suited to a TV format than the big screen. However, The Theory Of Everything proves an exception to the rule, and director James Marsh brings plenty of visual touches and sequence that completely belong on a cinema screen. The standout visual moment for me undoubtedly goes to one of Stephen and Jane's first dates, as they enjoy a Merry-Go Round and share a kiss atop a bridge. The camerawork, lighting and more gives this whole sequence a magical aura. Other visual highlights include a concert hall where Stephen is taken ill, the hall where he gives a speech following the release of his best-selling book, as well as the stunning closing montage – all of these sequence are proof that this film is far above the levels of a TV movie.

 

So to return to my original question, The Theory Of Everything is much more than it would appear to be at face value. This is a film that may simply look like it's trying to win awards, but in reality, it's a film that deserves awards. Eddie Redmayne gives the performance of his career, alongside a massively underrated Felicity Jones. It's romantic, heartfelt yet doesn't get its head lost in the clouds, able to balance sentimentality with realism – a very difficult task to pull off. Coupled with a strong supporting cast and a confident director, The Theory Of Everything is a fantastic film and gets 2015 off to a strong start.

The Theory Of Everything
 

9/10