The Theory of Everything
1.5/4
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, David Thewlis, Charlie Cox, Harry Lloyd, Simon McBurney, Maxine Peake
Rated PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Suggestive Material
It's hard to imagine a movie about Stephen Hawking, one of the most important figures in the science world, could be so dull and lifeless. But just because they are famous and influential doesn't mean that their life story could lend itself well to a cinematic adaptation, and I have my suspicions that Hawking's story is one of them. Apart from his life-altering disease, not much out of the ordinary happens to him, and "ordinary" is (usually) a recipe for boredom.
Stephen Hawking (Redmayne) is a brilliant young graduate student at the University of Cambridge. He impresses everyone, especially his mentor, Dennis Sciama (Thewlis), with his revolutionary ideas. Socially, he's awkward and physically gawky and clumsy. But he engages in a successful courtship with Jane Wilde (Jones), and they eventually fall in love. Then the bombshell drops: he has "motor neuron disease" (aka ALS). Because that comes with a two-year life expectancy, he and Jane decide to marry. But he defies all expectations and is still living today.
Director James Marsh, who directed the hit documentary (as far as documentaries not directed by Michael Moore go) "Man on Wire," concentrates more on the marriage between Stephen and Jane than the science that made Hawking world famous. I suppose that's the right way to go, since concentrating on the latter would limit the film's appeal to physicists (what science material there is makes little sense). Unfortunately, Marsh's approach is generic, making the film closer to a "disease-of-the-week" TV movie rather than legitimate drama.
The film's two leads, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, are high contenders in this year's Oscar race, Redmayne especially. Upon viewing the film, I don't know why. Neither is bad, but neither is especially good. Redmayne portrays a cripple and Jones plays his increasingly over-extended wife. But they don't exhibit much in terms of personality, and as such, aren't very interesting. They are constantly overshadowed by the supporting characters. Much more lively and engaging are Charlie Cox, who plays Jonathan Hellyer Jones, the choirmaster who helps the family out (and eventually falls in love with Jane...and later marries her) and Harry Lloyd, who plays Brian, Stephen's best friend. David Thewlis is also in fine form as Sciama, Stephen's mentor and friend. Christian McKay (Orson Welles in "Me and Orson Welles"), Emily Watson and Simon McBurney also appear.
James Marsh won an Oscar for making "Man on Wire," the documentary about Philippe Petit, the man who walked from one corner of the World Trade Center to the other. That movie may have been flawed, but my hands are sweating just sitting here thinking about it. The only thing I'm going to remember about this movie is how good it looks; the cinematography by Benoit Delhomme is Oscar-worthy. What I'll try to forget is the boredom, the lost potential, and the borderline shameless attempt at being a "prestige" film. It's not as bad as "Million Dollar Baby," but it's close.
It's rare that an Oscar-bait movie misfires so badly. This one does.
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, David Thewlis, Charlie Cox, Harry Lloyd, Simon McBurney, Maxine Peake
Rated PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Suggestive Material
It's hard to imagine a movie about Stephen Hawking, one of the most important figures in the science world, could be so dull and lifeless. But just because they are famous and influential doesn't mean that their life story could lend itself well to a cinematic adaptation, and I have my suspicions that Hawking's story is one of them. Apart from his life-altering disease, not much out of the ordinary happens to him, and "ordinary" is (usually) a recipe for boredom.
Stephen Hawking (Redmayne) is a brilliant young graduate student at the University of Cambridge. He impresses everyone, especially his mentor, Dennis Sciama (Thewlis), with his revolutionary ideas. Socially, he's awkward and physically gawky and clumsy. But he engages in a successful courtship with Jane Wilde (Jones), and they eventually fall in love. Then the bombshell drops: he has "motor neuron disease" (aka ALS). Because that comes with a two-year life expectancy, he and Jane decide to marry. But he defies all expectations and is still living today.
Director James Marsh, who directed the hit documentary (as far as documentaries not directed by Michael Moore go) "Man on Wire," concentrates more on the marriage between Stephen and Jane than the science that made Hawking world famous. I suppose that's the right way to go, since concentrating on the latter would limit the film's appeal to physicists (what science material there is makes little sense). Unfortunately, Marsh's approach is generic, making the film closer to a "disease-of-the-week" TV movie rather than legitimate drama.
The film's two leads, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, are high contenders in this year's Oscar race, Redmayne especially. Upon viewing the film, I don't know why. Neither is bad, but neither is especially good. Redmayne portrays a cripple and Jones plays his increasingly over-extended wife. But they don't exhibit much in terms of personality, and as such, aren't very interesting. They are constantly overshadowed by the supporting characters. Much more lively and engaging are Charlie Cox, who plays Jonathan Hellyer Jones, the choirmaster who helps the family out (and eventually falls in love with Jane...and later marries her) and Harry Lloyd, who plays Brian, Stephen's best friend. David Thewlis is also in fine form as Sciama, Stephen's mentor and friend. Christian McKay (Orson Welles in "Me and Orson Welles"), Emily Watson and Simon McBurney also appear.
James Marsh won an Oscar for making "Man on Wire," the documentary about Philippe Petit, the man who walked from one corner of the World Trade Center to the other. That movie may have been flawed, but my hands are sweating just sitting here thinking about it. The only thing I'm going to remember about this movie is how good it looks; the cinematography by Benoit Delhomme is Oscar-worthy. What I'll try to forget is the boredom, the lost potential, and the borderline shameless attempt at being a "prestige" film. It's not as bad as "Million Dollar Baby," but it's close.
It's rare that an Oscar-bait movie misfires so badly. This one does.
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