Directed by James Marsh, the film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Adapted from the book by Jane Hawking, it tells the story of the relationship of Jane with Stephen Hawking, the most famous scientist in the world, from when they meet as students at Cambridge in the '60s through the thirty years they were together, all the while fighting Stephen's devastating battle with ALS. I thought that the film itself was nice enough - it's reasonably enjoyable and well-acted. However, I found it to be quite safe. It wasn't provocative in its subject matter in any way, nor was the content that original (I recall a 2004 film - Hawking, with Benedict Cumberbatch - that was eerily similar). In short, the film was a little too vanilla to be great. The high points are the performances by the two leads. Felicity Jones is a charming Jane, and she gives a perfectly balanced and nuanced performance as a struggling wife. Redmayne and his physical transformation, however, are the standouts. He mastered the necessary mechanisms to convincingly portray the crippled Hawking, and is truly astounding. Though there seems to be no clear frontrunner in the Best Actor race (perhaps tonight's Globes will change that!) I wouldn't be surprised to see him earn accolades for his performance, and deservedly so. Overall, The Theory of Everything is a very decent film, but, aside from Redmayne, is not extraordinary.
Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+
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