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Posted by on Nov 29, 2014 in Blog, Movie Reviews | 0 comments

Best Film of the Year? (Movie Review: “The Theory of Everything”)

 

The Theory of Everything trailer - video

 

Stephen Hawking is the shocking incongruity of a scintillating mind cradled within a helpless body.

 

His life’s narrative includes nearly a half-century of unfathomable daily struggles, punctuated by breathtaking intellectual triumphs which have propelled mankind’s understanding of our world and the universe to unprecedented heights.

He is an astounding individual in so many ways, yet also exhibits all the common human frailties and shortcomings which afflict lesser men.

Mr. Hawking has steadfastly refused to accept the boundaries of conventional thought which hinders progress.  Just as inspirational if not more so, he’s somehow managed to push himself far beyond the limitations of what might have destroyed someone less determined.  Now at age 72, nearly fifty years after first being diagnosed with motor neuron disease (which is closely related to ALS), his quest to contemplate the essence of time and space continues.  Each new discovery brings us one step closer to solving the greatest mysteries.  Yet, while his mind and body are exceptional in paradoxical ways, his emotions are just like the rest of us.  Hawking’s tears are real and his faint smile is just as genuine.  He also likes attractive women.

Capturing this giant of a man is no small feat.  Some might even say — impossible.

Fortunately, James Marsh, who directed the Academy Awarding winning film “Man on Wire” (2008) — a documentary about trapeze artist Philippe Petit’s daring high-wire routine performed at New York City’s World Trade Center — handles Hawking’s balancing act with equal delicacy and precision.  “The Theory of Everything” is the new film (released November 21st) which is based on the most productive period of Mr. Hawking’s life.  Marsh and writers Anthony McCarten (screenplay), Jane Hawking (book) manage not only tell us an amazing story about a remarkable man but reveal something far more endearing about the human spirit perpetually trapped and released only under the most extraordinary of circumstances.  Yet even the most spirited talent is limited by the typical constraints of trying to live a semi-normal life and be happy.  Nothing’s easy, even for smart people.

“The Theory of Everything” isn’t merely a film biography.  It’s a greater discovery of humanity and the universe, intertwined within the complexity of a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist who made what’s arguably the greatest scientific discovery since Einstein’s theory of relativity.  No doubt, posters of Mr. Hawking will adorn dorm rooms someday, inscribed with witty sayings by the man who now needs an electronic machine to talk with the world, which can communicate only about four words per minute.  The mind thinks fast, but the funnel remains small.

The film’s ultimate triumph is affirmed in an astounding performance by Eddie Redmayne, a relatively unknown actor who’s all but certain to walk across the stage at next year’s Oscars and receive a well-deserved golden statue.  Playing a role with obvious physical and artistic challenges, not to mention the subject still being alive, could have resembled something like a botched carnival sideshow.  But Redmayne’s complete immersion into the character is not only thoroughly convincing, but transformative in bringing the audience into his immediate surroundings.  We even manage to share his thoughts and empathize with his feelings.  In a sense, he’s probably a better Stephen Hawking, even than Hawking himself.

Consider the subtle facial movements made by Mr. Hawking throughout the film which would be unrecognized upon any typical healthy person.  A simple raised eyebrow can reveal a lot.  Given that Mr. Hawking has essentially been immobile and unable to speak since 1973, the majority of his life has now been spent in a wheelchair with a voice machine as the only lifeline between thought and action — whether it’s asking for a glass of water or conveying a complex scientific algorithm.

His wife, Jane Wilde is played by Felicity Jones.  In many ways, she comes across as the real hero in the film.  Wife, mother, caretaker, and confidant, Jones gives us a wonderful portrayal of a woman desperate for some sense of normalcy, yet burdened with the obvious constraints of serving as a full-time, round-the-clock nurse.  She’s devoted to what for most would be a ball and chain.

For reasons which are obvious and understandable, the Hawking marriage is far from perfect.  The film manages to touch upon the small fractures which slowly begin to seep within the relationship, gradually leading to cracks and then crevasses.  Neither spouse comes across as anything different than common human, and it’s a testament to the Hawking family and the film’s storytellers that they were willing to exhibit their own deeply personal flaws and failings.  This gives the movie an utterly honest touch, which is missing in most other film biographies.

The film’s only shortcoming is science.  More specifically, it’s the lack of attention to detail on the matter of Hawking’s boldest theories and greatest discoveries.  Most of his ideas are pretty complex and that requires a significant amount of investment to understand.  Unfortunately, we’re never given the chance to fully grasp what Hawking’s achievements mean to science and the offshoot of quantum physics.  While the film can be defended as a romance of the two Hawkings as husband and wife, there does seem to be an obligation to try and explain the bigger bang out there in the universe which created everything.

It’s hard to say if “The Theory of Everything” is the best film of the year since a number of movies are yet unreleased.  But it’s certainly one of the best, and you’ll certainly not see two better performances this year than by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.  Their portrayals and revelations alone make this a mandatory viewing for any serious movie fan.  At the very least, Stephen Hawking is a figure in history who deserves to be celebrated, and this film provides us all with a much greater understanding of what his struggle entailed.

RATING:  4.5 Stars (out of 5)

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