Adapted from Jane Wilde Hawking's memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, the film The Theory of Everything delves into the relationship between Stephan Hawkins and his ex-wife, Jane, while also exploring his acclaim within the physics community and his struggle with ALS (the disease the ice bucket challenge was raising awareness for and collecting donations).
The film, directed by James Marsh, doesn't touch upon Stephen deciding to divorce Jane to marry his nurse, Elaine Mason, in the late 1980s. Nor does it explore the concerns this second marriage raised, with many suspecting Eliane of physically abusing Stephen. Instead it focuses on Stephen and Jane's story from the day they met at Cambridge University in the 1960s up to the 1980s. If you're looking for a film that delivers an in-depth look at Stephen Hawkin's contributions to science, then this is not for you. But if you're looking for a film that focuses on the intimate side of life, sheer determination to move forward against all odds and resilience, then this is an absolute gem.
Moving and emotional, The Theory of Everything is very well put together despite it being a rather traditional biography that isn't exactly groundbreaking within the genre. Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawkins) and Felicity Jones (Jane Wilde Hawkins) give top-notch performances. In fact Redmayne truly captivates. This alone makes the film a "must-see". This film has 'enough of everything' to make it unmissable.
Our rating: 8.5 Steps out of 10.
Watch the trailer here: