‘There should be no boundaries to human endeavor…’
Shamefully, I know very little about Stephen Hawking. Despite being one of the most lauded and inspirational figures of my lifetime, I still know more about Stuart Ripley say, or Ainsley Harriott. This is obviously a sorry state of affairs, and one that I attempted to rectify somewhat with The Theory of Everything, the wildy acclaimed, Oscar winning biopic of Hawking released back in 2014.
Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) is an incredibly gifted astrophysicist who is cruelly stuck down in his prime by motor neurone disease. His wife Jane (Felicity Jones) and his mentor Dennis Sciama (David Thewlis) attempt to assist Hawking through the short amount of time he has left. They grow to realise that the two year diagnosis given to him by the doctors was a vast underestimation.
The Theory of Everything is a film that is carried completely and totally by its cast. The screenplay is heartwarming and surprisingly funny, the score is functional, the direction is simple, but the cast are simply sublime. I’m not familiar with the work of Eddie Redmayne, but his performance here is one for the ages. He throws himself into the role of Hawking, mastering both the physical difficulties and the twinkle behind the eyes that made Hawking such a beloved character. He shares a heartbreaking chemistry with Jones, who is quietly wonderful as Professor Hawking’s stoic wife Jane. Elsewhere, a supporting case made up of Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, and Maxine Peake, as well as the aforementioned Thewlis, is always gonna be a winner. They dovetail here to great effect, but they all exist to serve Redmayne and Jones. It is that duo that has won this film such wide acclaim, and it is that duo who were deservedly recognised by the Academy for their efforts.
I can’t really imagine anybody disliking this film. Start watching for Redmayne and Jones. Stay for Hawking’s incredible story.