Une merveilleuse histoire du temps

What a wonderful accomplishment of a film by James Marsh (Man on Wire) who brings such depth and beauty to the life/love story of Stephen and Jane Hawking. The film is adapted from her novel on their life and brings forth much of the love and tenacity necessary to care for and love someone going through great physical struggles over time. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones give fantastic and intimate portrayals of Stephen and Jane during their courtship and lives together. My vote for best film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. In Q&A after film James Marsh told a great story about Stephen Hawking's reaction to the film where he gave the response that it was in "largely genuine"... and Eddie Redmayne said that Stephen Hawking after viewing the film allowed them to use his actual "voice" instead of their approximation for the film that they had produced. The most touching was that Hawking had tears to be wiped away after viewing which will give to you a sense of how genuine this film is.

"There should be no boundary between human endeavour," Stephen Hawking explains during a press conference. It is this line that strikes a chord at the very centre of James Marsh's incredible biopic on one of the most brilliant scientists of our time. The Theory of Everything is not just a story about the science behind the beginnings of our universe, but the science of love; and how life's challenges that we face everyday, shape who we are and what we achieve. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones turn in phenomenal performances as the revolutionary Stephen Hawking and his former wife Jane Wilde. Eddie's mentally and physically challenging role, displaying Hawkings brilliance and motor neuron disease, are extremely commendable and impressive (a sure fire for a Best Actor nomination at next year's Oscars). On the more sensitive side, Felecity displays the endless love and powerful fight Jane brought to the Hawking household. As the years pass, their lives are changed tremendously in very profound and heart-wrenching ways. The movie does not shy away from making Hawking a complex character, as well as Jane, showing both their positive and negative sides. I really liked that the movie was able to shape them into fully well-rounded characters despite the "romance" aspect of it. The score for the film is tremendous.. absolutely outstanding! It hits all the right marks, brings upon emotions right when you are on the verge of tears, leaves you in awe after a beautiful monologue, and finishes with a melancholy but very fitting tone. The script and directing were top-notch.. right up there with the best... and the cinematography? give that guy an award already! A masterpiece to watch. While some critics may be quick to judge how the film focuses more on the romance rather than the science that made Hawking so renowned, I believe that the love is what made him who he is today. Human endeavour is endless... Stephen never gave up hope, nor did Jane... and though their lives ended up in different places, it was their years together that displayed to us how a little bit of hope can go a very, very long way.

Verdict: A beautiful story that shows how time and love are limitless... no beginning, no end (despite his earlier hypothesis). *****

In Theatres: November 7th, 2014 (USA), January 2, 2015 (UK)

One might think that this movie would be about esoteric theories that are beyond the capacity for most people.

You would be so wrong!

This was probably the best love story I have ever seen. I was on the edge of my seat watching Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones) as she did more and more amazing acts of love for Stephan Hawking (Eddie Redmayne). I cannot imagine anyone that fits the definition of love more than she did.

Redmayne was brilliant as Hawking.

Anthony McCarten took Jane Hawing's book and wrote a screenplay that was a thrill to watch.

I've read scientists are turned off by this film for its omissions, simplifications, falsities, and other failures to explain Prof. Hawking's theories. I can understand that, being a law specialist who can't watch law dramas. But if you're not a cosmologist or a physicist you should not be discouraged by the film's failure to give you enough detail for a two credit course. It's a good drama of people, a bit schmaltzy as befits the facts, and in that regard I understand it's pretty accurate, and is definitely well acted and directed. Also a nice glimpse of what Oxbridge life was like in the 1950s. As they say, the male lead is Oscar bait.

The Theory of Everything tells the uphill struggle that world renowned genius Stephen Hawking went through when dealing with his, now, infamous disease and trying to maintain his relationship with his loving wife, Jane. The strengths of this film rely solely on Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. These two actors are absolutely, one hundred percent, PHENOMENAL in these two roles. Stephen Hawking is the role that Redmayne was born to play. Hawking is portrayed as a charming and intellectually superior individual that behaves just like any one else. After a bit, we start to wonder what was every so amazing about him...then the heartbreak starts. Jane Hawking is a sweet, loving and determined person that will go to the lengths of the universe to make sure her husband, Stephen can survive. I get chills just thinking about certain scenes, some of which will most definitely be requiring a large box of Kleenex. The truth is, anything that I say here about these performances, no matter what it is, is still criminally underselling the sheer brilliance of them. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are simply incredible and I'd be even willing to go to the extreme to say that both actors will not only be nominated, but I'd be surprised if they didn't win the Oscar gold. Now, with that being said, this film's structural issues are severely hampering this film's chances at being a classic. I wasn't completely sold on the structural integrity of the film. It showed enough of the relationship aspect behind Stephen and Jane but it very briefly touched base on Hawking's intellectual discoveries and I thought that if it was a bit more balanced in that respect, it would be a near perfect film. One plot point that I did find utterly enthralling is the idea that Hawking struggles throughout the film to do simple things. These scenes are, by far, the most heart wrenching scenes to watch. James Marsh directs his actors effortlessly and can evoke the type of emotional response out of his audience through them, but when left with telling a story, Marsh falters. Marsh, known for 2012 IRA drama, Shadow Dancer proves that he is an actor's director. He cares about human drama over anything in a tangible sense, which benefits this film greatly but also harms it in the way of progression. Despite these minor infractions, The Theory of Everything is a film that everyone can enjoy and turns into a real audience movie. It is a film that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next, no easy feat for any film, and this one does it effortlessly.