Review of The Theory of Everything (2014) by Wornoutspines — 21 Feb 2015

I expected this movie to be an overly romanticized sugar coated version of Jane and Stephen Hawking That's probably the reason why I didn't rush to the theater to see the film. Although, it's tastefully done, the story is does not shy away from the difficulty they faced.

The Theory of Everything seamlessly shows their life, the personal side of thing, and it's no romantic comedy. The film tells a great deal of what this brilliant man and his wife had to endure. Jane married this genius man, on borrowed time, planning to cherish the little time they had but in time found herself with a husband, whose slowly crumbling body, demands a lot of her. Stephen, this brilliant young man, who had a bright future in front of him, found himself faced with a hurdle he can't possibly overcome and only live with. Their story is beautifully told, fascinating but also cruel.

The Theory of Everything is subtle and clever. Like I said, it's not an overly sugar-coated and romanticized story of Stephen and Jane Hawking. They are portrayed as strong and determined people but they're also flawed, which makes them human and very likable. I was touched all the way through, immersed into the story and into their lives, but I did not pity them I admired them. The immersion into the story is wonderfully accompanied by the score. It gives an extra layer to such a beautiful story.

The cast is just superb, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones really deserve the nominations and awards they got because they carried the movie. Redmayne was incredible and once you fathom the amount of work and details that went into this performance, you realize how impressive Eddie Redmayne's performance is. Felicity Jones, though, is the cherry on top the movie wouldn't have been as good without her in it. She's sweet and incredibly good as Jane Hawking her eyes speak for themselves in the movie. She's brilliant.

As Biopics go, The Theory of Everything is a great one among the many we had this year with Unbroken, and The Imitation Game, or Selma. When the story's great and you have a very talented cast, the director is often overlooked James March did a stellar job.

I now understand what all the fuss is about. The Theory of everything as a great script, talented cast, is believable and touching.