James Marsh’s Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, telling the story of the famous astrophysicist’s life as he gradually succumbs to motor neurone disease, and the effect this and his work have on his marriage to Jane Wilde Hawking, is a perfectly acceptable but unremarkable tale that ticks off every biopic cliché known to man. Redmayne, as Hawking, is a fine actor, but the film itself struggles with Redmayne’s voyeuristic impression of the man, his affectations and physical work coming across as pandering Oscar-bait rather than a layered performance. The true standout is Felicity Jones, who does stellar work as the conflicted and layered Jane, torn between her love for her husband and the difficulties inherent in taking care of him.
As a film itself, it is filmed in a fairly perfunctory way, most of the film’s visual style being in keeping with the kinds of stuffy British biopics that are normally found around Oscar season. Granted, there are some intriguing moments of visual splendor, such as Hawking’s visions of the universe, or one scene late in the film where Hawking imagines himself picking up a pen dropped by a student. However, these elements do not make up for the script’s redundant hitting of Oscar-bait drama beats – the tense marriage between a physically disabled man and a woman wanting more, the gradual, dramatic development of the invention or historical event the film’s subject is known for, and so on. All of these things contribute to a film that, while dutifully and professionally made, aspires to be little more than garden-variety Oscar bait.
Works Cited
Marsh, James (dir.). The Theory of Everything. Perf. Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie
Cox. Universal Pictures, 2015.
