The Theory Of Everything tells the story of beloved physicist Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde, the literature student he fell in love with whilst studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. We first meet Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) as a young PhD student in 1963. Hes bright but unfocused in his studies, more concerned with the pretty girl he recently met at a mixer named Jane (played touchingly by Felicity Jones). As their young romance progresses everything seems right with the world, but then, of course, things take a dark turn. After taking a nasty fall, young Hawking is diagnosed with a motor neuron disease similar to ALS. A doctor gives him two years to live and predicts: "Your thoughts won't be affected - it's just that, eventually, no one will know what they are." What follows is the remarkable story of Hawkings success and survival. After marrying Hawking, Jane becomes a fervent supporter and caretaker of her husband, but she is not without her own distinct humanity. This is the story of a couple, each with complementary roles to play, and Jane is afforded her fair half. What drives the film is Hawking's slow deterioration and Jane's struggle to care for him and their children. It's that human-scale notion of relativity that makes the character work so well.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
