Fine performances in a good biopic that can't match the brilliance of its subject.

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2015)

Arriving amongst much fanfare and hype surrounding possible Oscar nominations and a predicted avalanche of gold, The Theory of Everything set a lofty benchmark for itself and expectations were incredibly high prior to the screening.
So did it meet those expectations? The short answer is "No", but that doesn't mean it is a poor film, only that those anticipating perfection and something truly outstanding will feel a little disappointed.
There are few in the western world who are not aware of Professor Stephen Hawking and the impact he had on the scientific world with his multi-million-selling book, A Brief History of Time, even if they know little about his own history or that of his wife and support, Jane. If nothing else, Professor Hawking has touched the lives of the ignorant masses (and I count myself amongst them) through his omnipresence in contemporary entertainment such as Pink Floyd's Keep Talking, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Futurama, The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons
The Theory of Everything is a classic biopic précising the remarkable life of a modern genius from his academic career at Cambridge, through the onset and development of his life-defining motor neuron disease (or more specifically, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig's disease) and his personal relationships with Mary, their children and the staff and students at Cambridge.
A glance through Hawking's achievements makes it abundantly clear that a detailed analysis of his life would be both too long and excruciatingly dull for most of us, and so director James Marsh (Man on Wire, Project Nim) has sifted the sparkling elements to forge a film that enthralls and delights whilst, apparently, remaining largely faithful for the source material, Jane Hawking's book, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.
The two central performances are, indeed, outstanding. Eddie Redmayne is on a career high as Hawking with an empathetic turn that pours anguish and steely determination onto the screen filtered through a gauze of classic 'Englishness'. It is a performance that it is impossible not to admire for the control and subtlety in portraying such a pronounced disability and if 2011's My Week with Marilyn suggested stardom, The Theory of Everything pretty much confirms it.
As his wife, Mary, Felicity Jones is equally absorbing and commands the screen every bit as much as Redmayne. Come award season, though both may land Oscar nominations, I predict a greater chance of success for Jones in the Best Supporting Actress category than for Redmayne as he, surely, jostles with Michael Keaton and Steve Carell.
Though The Theory of Everything is an extremely good film with some fine performances throughout, there is nothing remarkable, nothing that grabs the viewer by the throat, forces tears or leaves one wanting more or repeat viewings. It is another very good film that, come year's end, the viewer will vaguely recall seeing and enjoying but about which is unable to remember specifics. There is nothing really obvious to point at and say "Oh dear" about; it's just that there isn't enough, it lacks that extra fire in its belly that the fanfare promised.
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