Emotional Award Bait w/ Amazing Performances from the Leads

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2015)

There was one major contender during award season that I couldn't quite figure out if I was interested in watching: THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. I am a casual fan of Stephen Hawking and I've read both his "Brief History of Time" and "Universe in a Nutshell" (as a layman, of courseI've no formal education in the sciences). I am vastly interested in the workings of the universe, even if I can't totally wrap my mind around some of the concepts in their complexity. So, a movie about Stephen Hawking was guaranteed to get my attention. I don't know why I expected a focus on his contributions to the world of theoretical physics in a mainstream biopic (other than wishful thinking) but the movie was still an interesting vision into the man's battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease. It begins near the end of his education at Cambridge where he is studying for his PhD, and it's around this time that he meets Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) at a local party. The two fall in love (abnormally quick) and it's off to the disease when Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) is diagnosed with motor neuron disease and given two years to live. Once the initial shock has worn off, Hawking becomes determined to complete his education, continue his studies, and live a life with Jane. The two are married and the film gives us a glimpse into their lives as Hawking's motor function deteriorates and the struggle to maintain a sense of "normal" becomes too much.
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING is unabashed Oscar bait. There is no question about that. Period piece. Noble subject/biopic. Intelligence. Love. Everything the award voters could want. Thankfully, it's a good bit of Oscar bait. Again, I'm a fan of Hawking so there are few subjects more interesting for me in a biography. Eddie Redmayne won a series of awards for his performance as Hawking and it was well deserved. I won't lie: in the beginning of the film, he reminds me so much of a young Austin Powers (think the flashbacks in GOLDMEMBER) that it's a little distracting but it's not long before he disappears into the character. And he becomes more and more convincing as the movie progresses. It's Hawking's battle with the disease where Redmayne shines, giving a pitch perfect performance. Good thing, too, because Hawking's ALS is the main driving force of the movie. He gradually loses motor function, bit by bit, until he's eventually confined to the wheelchair and gifted the text-to-speech software we've come to associate with the man. The movie spends the majority of it's time on the relationship between Stephen and Jane and how the two of them manage to keep strong for the longest time until the stress becomes too much. I'm honestly surprised at how little recognition Jones has gotten for her part in the film. As incredible as Redmayne was, Jones was just as on point with her role as his faithful wife with her gradually fading optimism. Redmayne had the physical struggle; Jones had the emotional.
Struggle. It's all about the struggle. As a result, this is actually a pretty depressing movie. Sure, it's got these themes of hope running throughout it but it's nearly drowned in the constant onslaught of sadness and hurdles. Almost every scene in the movie focuses on some new obstacle or the stress before moving on to the next. While it is an interesting movie, it's just such a downer. It is interesting to see the progression of the disease, and it's interesting to watch Hawking's career blossom. But, man, what a bummer. I guess it would've been difficult to form an engaging movie around the man's career alone, but I think I would've loved it more. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING drops little tidbits here and there, showing us moments where Hawking finds the inspiration for some of his ideas but that's about it. And the film follows his story up until the point that he publishes "A Brief History of Time". But then that's it. Oh well. The movie accomplishes what it sets out to do. It's a very emotional story and it's wonderful to look at. It's got all the ingredients to bring home the gold during awards season, and it's tailor-made to do just that. It'sI don't know.good. Go ahead and give it a watch. There's nothing here to offend any tastes and the performances are amazing but (for me, anyhow) it didn't take long to sink into the background noise of all the other award bait biopics out there, standing out only because the subject is an interest of mine.