Movie Review - The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything **** (out of 5) (PG-13) After successfully avoiding most math and science courses throughout the discretionary years of my education, I’m not the most likely candidate for grasping the academic content of this fine biopic of megamind Stephen Hawking, covering the years from his graduate studies at Cambridge just before the onset of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease that eventually left him almost completely paralyzed and speechless to the present. His personality and journey are presented in a surprisingly engaging and accessible package, thanks mainly to the brilliant screenplay based on My Life with Stephen, by his wife, Jane, who he met at school shortly before the symptoms began. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones deliver award-worthy performances as the couple. Hawking’s dire 1963 prognosis of a two-year life expectancy has fortunately been wrong for 50 years, and counting.

What may surprise many who only know Hawking as the wheelchair-bound genius who can only speak electronically is the wit and charm that beat the tar out of standard physics-geek stereotyping. His scholastic purity and zeal are established by the fact that worldwide acclaim for his breakthrough calculations on black holes didn’t keep him from debunking that work as soon as he peeled back the next layer of understanding the nature of existence. We see the purity of his process contrasted with intellectual doubters and religious leaders who saw science as a potential either/or with their concept of God.

Even while appreciating how the math and science were easier to follow than in the latest hot space epic, Interstellar, the personal level of Stephen and Jane’s lives is even more compelling. Don’t let the brainiac subject deter those who appreciate fine tales well told. If you were moved by The King’s Speech, you’re likely to appreciate this one. It may also prove to be a good warm up for Benedict Cumberbatch’s imminent turn as math diety (and WW II unsung hero) Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. You never know how much of this will be on the final. (11/21/14)