Review of The Theory of Everything (2014) by David23 — 16 Feb 2015

First things first: if you watch this movie expecting the focus to be on Stephen Hawking and his work - like I did - then you will likely be greatly disappointed (like I was).

So much screen time is spent upon his then-wife, Jane, and their relationship that, on the few occasions that we actually see him presenting his theories, you feel completely disconnected from those accomplishments because absolutely none of the work behind them is portrayed on-screen. So we end up with a few odd scenes (amongst all the love-stuff) where Stephen speaks to a room full of people about his theories and then everyone stands up and starts applauding him and how brilliant he is. But, for the unintelligent people in the cinema like me who don't have a clue what he's on about because the movie doesn't provide a single iota of the background work or thoughts then went into these theories, you're left feeling like he may as well have said 'Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah'. And everyone still would have stood up and cheered, because the Movie Director needed a few uplifting moments.

And, boy, does it need those uplifting scenes in amongst the grey, depressing story of a man diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Yes, Stephen Hawking has accomplished a great deal in his lifetime so far but so much of this movie focuses on the struggles of his wife, Jane, to cope with looking after him as his condition worsens that the film ends up feeling more informative than entertaining (and what do we go to the cinema/movie theatre for if not to be entertained?).

My other issue with the movie is that, especially when you find out that it's based on a book by Jane, it feels distinctly like it glosses over the foibles of his then-wife and yet highlights the flaws of others. Her being unfaithful garners five seconds of screen time but when Elaine (Maxine Peake) shows up later in the movie to help Stephen, she's portrayed as something like a naughty nurse from a 'Carry On' movie who tries (in several scenes) to undermine Jane. It's these things that - especially when considering whose book this movie is based upon - make it feel like it may be a slightly biased version of events.

However, there are positives about the movie that need to be highlighted. There are some greatly funny moments and these are often provided by Stephen's university room-mate Brian (played wonderfully by Harry Lloyd). He brings some much-needed laughter to a sometimes otherwise dreary movie.

Of course, the main highlight of the film is the performance of Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking. As I write this review, he is Oscar-nominated for it and I would be shocked if he does not win the award. Without such an outstanding job by the leading actor, I feel that 'The Theory of Everything' would have fallen completely flat but his outstanding performance is absolutely spot on.

Overall, if you're interested in Stephen Hawking then - by all means - you may find 'The Theory of Everything' worth watching. Otherwise, there's not much to be gained here other than seeing a tired, generic love story in a different setting.