In the 60s we all danced vertically.
Stephen Hawking is an undeniably fascinating character.
As the film opens Hawking is already a young man and a mathematics prodigy, with confidence borne of higher intelligence if not yet social status. This relentless positivity and limitless potential catches the eye of the attractive Jane, a young woman from the ‘right side of the tracks’, and the two embark upon what I must assume was a traditional 60s courtship.
While undeniably already a genius, albeit unrefined, the tone of both film and Hawking and Jane’s relationship quickly changes tack with the news that Hawking carries motor neurone disorder, an insidious disease that would likely swiftly deconstruct his body’s systems, and eventually his ability to remain alive.
The condition appears and worsens quickly, and within years Hawking is wheelchair bound, and initially unable to converse with others beyond stilted speech and gestures. But as Hawking’s body – never his brain – weakens, Jane’s courage and will grows. She almost single handedly convinces Hawking to continue on, and raises a family along the way, with the extra commitment of caring for Hawking as his condition deteriorates.
Jane is a human dynamo, but even she is unable to carry the responsibility forever, and help arrives at various time from a handsome young music teacher, and a spirited and committed female nurse.
And here is where the film makes a decision. While it covers Hawking’s ascension to his known role as an academic heavyweight, The Theory of Everything is more interested in examining his ongoing relationships over the decades.
The fact is that the Hawking family dynamic is entirely google-able, but that said I won’t spoil major plot points here. While Eddie Redmayne’s performance is terrific, the fact is that he is wheelchair bound for much of the film.
As much as a two hour examination of his mental capacity might not sound exciting, neither is two hours of relationship juggling. What they might have done is build a story about overcoming the adversity of a flawed body with will and courage, but apparently that one was not available. Instead we get a romantic comedy without comedy and limited romance. A good one yes, but maybe the scientific fact is that there just wasn’t much of a film here in the first place.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. A film about the Theory of Everything which ends up being about not much of anything.
