The Theory of Everything follows this description to a fault at times; depicting the life of Stephen Hawking, the now-famous Astrophysicist and his wife Jane Wilde. The acting is flawless, with Eddie Redmayne stealing basically every scene he is a part of. There is a rumor among Hollywood hopefuls that a sparkling award can be won if an actor embarks on a "passion project"--setting aside his own vanity for the sheer necessity of the work itself. This reviewer will not comment on the validity of such statements. All I can say is that Redmayne was truly a sight to behold; taking on the slight nuances of Hawking's personality down to a simple, sparkling gesture or a flick of an eyebrow. He made us believe that the brilliant mind of this formidable man still lurks somewhere behind the shallow waters of his complicated disease. I am not sure if this will render him an Oscar winner at the end of this evening, but Redmayne has nothing to be ashamed of. I suspect he will have many opportunities to showcase his talents for years to come.
The silent, shining star of this movie had to be the complicated marriage that the Hawking's found themselves in. It all began with a cliche: "every strong man has an even stronger woman behind him", a turn of phrase that I have often resented. Why is that a strong man would require his even stronger counterpart to trail behind him? Would it be so much to ask that she, say, stand beside him.. as a partner should? Felicity Jones is a subtle force throughout, not allowing Jane Wilde to stay silently in the background of her husband's success. She began her career at Cambridge with dreams of her own, many of which she had to knowingly replace with the life of a wife and mother. Her portrayal of Jane Wilde showcased the struggle to maintain that delicate balance, all while trying to find something in their complicated universe that was solely her own. Perhaps, Jane finds this freedom within her own religious beliefs; refusing to give up her faith despite her brilliant husband's insistence on the scientific theory of the universe at large. Jane becomes the moral, emotional center of his world after all. There is a grey area, she insists, things that his careful equations could fill in her hungry soul
More than anything else, Jane stares out into the great, wide void with a deep sense of longing that no words could ever possibly fill. Felicity Jones was brilliant in her subtle way of reaching out to all of us as she longed for that ever present "something". Jane-the-character transcended the strong wife ideal to become a real woman: silent, enduring, kind, loving, nurturing and yet still selfish enough to wish for more than her life could provide. She reminds us that we are all simple and messy human beings at the end of the day. Yes, love is a powerful and life changing force but yet sometimes it may not be enough to conquer all the bumps that life may through in our paths.It seems that if this movie teaches us anything, it is the power of self-acceptance in the face of adversity. Stephen Hawking is a man who is simply happy to be alive, seemingly embracing his life with a passion that is almost enviable. A movie is not reality, however, so I wouldn't suggest taking this as the final testament into the lives of the Hawking's clan. It does shed some light into their complicated lives, while also introducing us to some very talented actors.
