The Theory of Everything tells the story of Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane. It is a drama about love, physics, and the slow loss of a man’s body while his mind stays sharp. Eddie Redmayne plays Hawking, and Felicity Jones plays Jane. The film covers the years from their meeting at Cambridge through the early stages of Hawking’s illness, ending with him in a wheelchair and her still caring for him.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures UK.
Meeting at Cambridge
The film opens with Hawking arriving at Cambridge in the early 1960s. He is a brilliant student, but he also has a stutter and a quiet way of speaking that sets him apart. Jane notices him at once, and the two begin a relationship that will last through marriage and the early years of his illness.
Redmayne captures Hawking’s early charm and intelligence. He is awkward around other students, but his mind works fast. Jones plays Jane as warm, patient, and deeply devoted. Their scenes together carry the film, and the chemistry between them feels genuine.
The Diagnosis
The film does not linger on the diagnosis itself, but it makes clear how quickly everything changes. Hawking’s condition worsens, and doctors give him a grim prognosis. He will live, but he will lose control of his body. The film shows the family’s grief and confusion, but it does not dwell on tragedy for its own sake.
Instead, it focuses on how Jane and Hawking adapt. She becomes his nurse, his translator, and his companion. He pushes himself to keep working, even as his speech grows harder to understand and his movements grow weaker. The film presents this as a partnership, not a burden.
The Science
Hawking’s work on black holes is central to the story. The film explains some of the concepts in simple terms, though it leans heavily on metaphor. A black hole is described as a place where gravity pulls everything inward, and Hawking’s research is presented as a search for answers about what lies beyond that pull.
The science is not the main point, but it gives the story weight. Hawking’s work is presented as a continuation of his identity, even as his body fails him. This is a film about a mind that refuses to stop thinking.
The Physical Decline
The middle section of the film shows Hawking’s decline in detail. He loses the ability to walk, then to speak clearly, then to move at all. The film does not shy away from the practical difficulties of living with a severe disability. Jane has to help him dress, feed him, and answer questions for him when he can no longer speak.
Redmayne’s performance here is the film’s centerpiece. He uses a wheelchair, a motorized chair, and eventually a voice synthesizer. His face carries the strain of the disease, but his eyes stay sharp. The film wants us to see both sides of the man: the genius and the sufferer.
The Breakup
The film’s most difficult scenes deal with the strain on the marriage. Jane is exhausted, and she finds herself increasingly isolated from friends and family who cannot understand what she is going through. The film shows her growing distance from Hawking, and it suggests that the couple’s bond weakens over time.
This is where the film stumbles. The breakup is presented as a natural consequence of the illness, but it feels rushed. The film does not spend enough time showing why the marriage fails. We see Jane’s exhaustion, but we do not see what breaks her resolve. The film ends with the couple separated, but the reasons behind the separation remain unclear.
The Legacy
The film closes with Hawking as an older man, famous and respected. He appears at a conference where he delivers a lecture about his work. The film uses this moment to suggest that his life had meaning beyond his illness. He became a symbol of perseverance, and his work changed how we think about the universe.
The final scenes are hopeful, but they feel somewhat hollow after the personal drama of the earlier parts. The film wants to say that Hawking’s life mattered, and it does, but it does not fully explain why his later success feels earned.
The Verdict
The Theory of Everything is a well-made film with strong performances, but it struggles with pacing and character development. It is at its best when it focuses on the relationship between Hawking and Jane, and at its weakest when it tries to explain the broader meaning of his life.
“He became a symbol of perseverance, and his work changed how we think about the universe.”
That line sums up the film’s approach to its subject. It treats Hawking as a hero, and it celebrates his work, but it does not dig deep into the personal cost of that heroism.
The film is worth seeing for Redmayne’s performance alone. He transforms himself into Hawking, and the transformation is complete. Jones is equally good as Jane, though her role is less developed. Together they carry a story that is sometimes too neat and too tidy.
Here is how the film’s strengths stack up:
- Redmayne’s performance as Hawking
- Jones’s performance as Jane
- The film’s handling of the early romance
- Its depiction of the scientific work
- Its treatment of the physical decline
- Its handling of the breakup
- Its closing scenes about Hawking’s legacy
The film scores highest on the first three items and lowest on the last two.
The Theory of Everything is a film about a remarkable man and a remarkable woman. It tells their story with dignity and care, but it does not fully capture the complexity of their lives. It is a good film, not a great one.
It earns a score of 7.1 out of 10.
