"The Theory of Everything": one-paragraph review

Scientists now theorize that the center of our galaxy is a titanically stormy, time-warped hell containing either a single, supermassive black hole or a cluster of very massive black holes. 2014's "The Theory of Everything" (TTOE), which stars Eddie Redmayne as cosmologist Stephen Hawking, also contains two supermassive black holes at its heart. The first black hole is the script's deliberate avoidance of the meat of Hawking's revolutionary theories on space and time; the second black hole is the script's deliberate avoidance of any real exploration of Hawking's marriage and his relationship with women. The latter touchy subject is treated with supreme, kid-glove delicacy and compassion, as is perhaps fitting for a hagiography of a great scientist based on the memoir of his ex-wife. The former subject—the lack of any real, substantive discussion of a theory of everything—probably has much to do with the filmmakers' desire to make TTOE a romantic drama instead of a true-to-form biopic. But the movie does possess one asset: Redmayne himself, who gives the most impressive physical performance I've seen since Daniel Day Lewis's "My Left Foot." Redmayne obviously invested an immense effort in this portrayal of Hawking's deterioration, and he deserved every single accolade he got. His touching and vulnerable performance is the one saving grace that keeps this film from falling utterly into Hallmark TV-drama territory. Alas, aside from that, TTOE isn't all that memorable.


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