Theory Of Everything, James Marsh 2014
By Ali Tenenbaum
The problem with waiting to see a movie like this is that you hear a ton of buzz beforehand. There’s Oscar buzz for both of the leads but bad news buzz on the overall film… and this time, the buzz is right on.
We watch Stephen Hawking go from an awkward, brilliant student at Oxford to a twisted pile of bones in a chair. All the while his incredibly devoted, determined and unfaltering wife is by his side. They (mostly she) sacrifice everything to care for Stephen and make his life as “normal” and productive as it can possibly be. So it’s a story about two very decent people who go through an enormous struggle and come out on the other side shockingly intact and happy. Unfortunately as a movie, nothing really happens. There’s a lot of moving from room to room and heartfelt displays of wifely devotion, but it’s a bit like watching paint dry. The acting IS amazing, so the age-old question arises…how can a movie be so much crappier than the sum of its (pretty good) parts?
Grandmas will loooooooove it.Kids will be bored.
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