Review of The Theory of Everything (2014) by Thefilmfanatic — 08 Dec 2014

The Theory of Everything is an intelligent biographical dramady about the life of Stephen and Jane Hawking depicting the struggles and accomplishments they faced together. Everything from the production design and costumes to the cinematography and editing helped accent the emotional struggle of the characters. With Oscar-worthy performances by Redmayne and Jones and brilliant direction by James Marsh the audience is taken on a charmingly humorous and emotional ride through the life of the Hawkings.

I was a bit disappointed with the story in two aspects. Firstly, I believe that the film was subjected to some restricted narrative construction to appease the still living subjects of the film. In biographies of deceased people the filmmakers tend to push the boundaries and add a bit of controversy or increased tension. If Marsh was going for a more biographical, documentary film than a biographical drama, then he certainly succeeded. However, I feel even with the restrictions that this film delivered. Secondly, I was not pleased with the lack of science in the film. This film is about Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest minds to ever walk this Earth, and yet we are more interested in his personal life? Yes the film is a recount of Stephen's life through the eyes of his ex-wife Jane, but being the only film about Stephen Hawking they could have at least explained some of the interesting theories and research he worked on throughout his life.

Regardless this film delivers a brilliantly charming biopic about a man whose dynamism was hidden by his overachieving mind. Although Stephen is the star of the film, the true star of the story is Jane whose strength and dedication to Stephen helped bring us The Theory of Everything. His mind changed our world, her love changed his.