Film: The Theory of Everything

GENRE: Bio/Drama/Romance

RATING: PG13 for thematic elements
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 3 minutes

STARRING: Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn, Les Mis)

Felicity Jones (Amazing Spiderman 2), Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire)

DIRECTOR: James Marsh (Man on Wire; Project Nim)

WRITER: Anthony McCarten (newcomer)

PLOT: A biography on the relationship of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife starting just before he is diagnosed with ALS.  

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Eddie Redmayne should win the Oscar for this role. Sure Michael Keaton is good in Birdman, but Redmayne is phenomenal. The concentration to contort the body and face and still convey such depth is truly amazing. I am in awe.

2 While Redmayne gets all the credit, Jones does a pretty awesome job as Hawking’s wife. You feel for her the entire time.  

3 At the Golden Globes I thought Birdman would win best score because of all the drumming but again, Theory wins out, and deservedly so. Johann Johannsson;s score is simply beautiful. So moving and rich.

4 I often forget how funny Hawking can be. I always think back to his Simpsons cameo. In this film, he rolls on his wheelchair acting like a Dalek for Dr. Who. I laughed out loud.

5 The story is pretty moving. There’s also some science-y stuff that I knew nothing about. Didn’t bother me that much.

RECOMMENDATION: Good rental, unless watching for Oscar
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Whiplash; Selma