The Theory of Everything – Oscar Best Picture Nominees 2015

Hello Friends,

We’re almost there – this is the sixth review of the eight Best Picture nominees of the 87th annual Academy Awards. I’ve been avoiding writing this review, because as you all are well aware, I can’t handle sad films. Watching The Theory of Everything was almost as bad as War Horse. (Feel free to revisit that review, you know, the one where I cried for the ENTIRE FIRST AND SECOND ACT.) Even worse, the theater was full! There I was, sitting by myself (I like going to the movies alone), in between two people I’ve never met, trying to sob as softly as possible, muffling the gasps with my popcorn so as not to attract undo attention to myself. I. Was. Mortified. And so, let us begin walking through the poignant moments that are The Theory of Everything, the film I’ve been avoiding ever since the previews came out.

Directed by James Marsh and adapted by Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything is the film adaptation of the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, and is all about Jane’s relationship with her ex-husband, his diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), and his success in physics. The film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen and Jane Hawking, and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Redmayne), and Best Actress (Jones).

The film begins during Hawking’s years at Cambridge when he meets Jane Wilde at a party. They begin their relationship, but soon after, Stephen is diagnosed with ALS. Although his brain will remain unchanged, he will be completely incapable of controlling his muscles, including the little things like walking, talking, or even swallowing. Oh, and did I mention, he’s only going to live for another two years? Knowing what she knows, Jane chooses to love Stephen anyway. (I mean, seriously? Oh my goodness. I can’t even, already). They get married, have children, and live happily ever after.

Did I just say that? What I meant to say was, Stephen got just as bad as the doctors said he would, except that he lived a heck of a lot longer, and Jane continued to take care of him, and their children, while being unable to pursue her own dreams of getting a P.h.D., then Jane falls in love with Jonathan (Charlie Cox), the director of the church choir who becomes close to both her and Stephen, but of course they can’t be together, and Stephen and Jane continue to endure and endure until Stephen falls in love with Elaine (Maxine Peake), his caretaker, and finally Jane decides she can’t go any farther. And then Jane says, “How many years? How many years have we had?” And then I DIED. I definitely could not even. Not even for a second could I even. I exploded in a shower of snot and tears. It was not attractive. Then Stephen meets the Queen, and he invites Jane to go with him, and they look at their beautiful family and reminisce on the wonderful life they had.

This movie is carried by the actors. The acting in this film is stunning. It is so stunning, in fact, that I have little to say about it. Felicity Jones is a giant gift wrapped in a tiny package. This powerhouse of an actor takes on a challenging role and serves it up with a side of fierce like she’s been doing this as long as Meryl Streep, or Madame Judy Dench. Jones loves with a passion that takes your breath away, and then she fights with a desperation that takes your breath away, and then she keeps her husband alive, and loves her children, and works her butt off, and denies her true feelings for another man….are you sensing a theme? Every single word Jones utters is delivered with an honesty that is like a punch to the gut. She is simple and present when she tells Stephen she’ll love him, no matter how hard it will get, no matter how many years they have. And when she tells Stephen’s parents that his third child was, in fact, his, she stands her ground and takes the hit (metaphorically), and rises up with a quiet dignity that overlays a stunned, horrified shock. I could do this for hours. I could search for moments in that script, and then attempt to find words that don’t come anywhere close to the work you could see for yourself. Felicity Jones is perfect. She works with such emotional depth and precision. She is never garish, never overblown, never overly dramatic. This film, I am certain, is just a drop in the bucket, and I sincerely hope we get to witness her expertly plumb the depths throughout her career. 

 Unfortunately, of course, Felicity Jones is completely overshadowed, and it’s not for lack of trying. Eddie Redmayne has the gargantuan task of portraying Stephen Fricking Hawking, and he is THE MOST BRILLIANT THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. I’m sorry, but I can’t stop shouting. The sheer amount of physical work this performance requires is mind-boggling. If you told me for even five seconds that Eddie Redmayne isn’t Stephen Hawking, I wouldn’t believe you. The control it required to voluntarily lose control of all of the muscles in your body…I don’t even understand it. The man conveys a world of emotion and desire in one eyebrow. Yes, actually one single eyebrow. With this eyebrow, he manages to seduce Elaine. Have I mentioned this is the wheelchair-bound Stephen Hawking? Performing a seduction with an eyebrow? Don’t worry, it was caught on film, so you can marvel at it again and again. There are a thousand moments. Eddie/Stephen trying to get up the stairs to see his son. Eddie/Stephen impossibly smiling that crooked grin while saying something stunningly witty, while also attempting to perform some physical miracle like feeding himself. Eddie/Stephen being carried up the stairs. Eddie/Stephen drinking a beer with his friend Jonathan. Eddie/Stephen delivering a speech using an electronic voice because the man can no longer speak. I don’t even understand how any of this happened, but I can tell you that if Eddie Redmayne doesn’t win Best Actor, the man has been robbed. This is brilliance of the highest caliber, and I feel privileged just to have watched it happen on-screen.

Of course, there are other great things about this film. The cinematography is stunning. The costuming is authentic. There are, naturally, other actors in the film that make it seem like a real life place and not a world where Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones acting in scenes with each other is the only thing that matters or exists. They were all quite lovely. And then, of course, the fact that this is a true story, that fact also pops into your brain every now and again while you’re watching the movie, and your mind is blown all over again. But really, this film is about the brilliance of two hard-working actors who tell stories like no one else.

I have a friend who was troubled by the fact that he was expecting something he didn’t get, and was extremely disappointed by this film. So let us all be clear – this is a love story, plain and simple. It’s not about astrophysics, it’s not really even “about” Stephen Hawking, exactly. It’s about a woman who falls in love with a man in an impossible situation, and love carries them through until it just can’t anymore. So if you go in looking for a movie about science and time and the biopic of Stephen Hawking, you should go elsewhere. If you’re looking for some of the best acting ever to be displayed in a film ever, anywhere, then run, do not walk, to the nearest theater. Redmayne and Jones will blow you away with their immense skill, and you’ll cry like a toddler. What’s that you say? You don’t cry in the theater, only I do? I personally bet you that at least one single, glistening tear will drop down your face. And if it doesn’t, you’re stronger than I. Go see The Theory of Everything. See it because love is real. I don’t know that it will win Best Picture, but it’s certainly got as good a shot as any of the other nominees. The Theory of Everything is beautiful, and deserves all of the awards in the world.

Live, Love, Learn,

Rebecca &