Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Harry Lloyd, David Thewlis, Simon McBurney, Emily Watson, Christian McKay, Maxine Peake
Directed By: James Marsh
I would say that Eddie Redmayne has finally arrived, but the more correct statement would be that Eddie Redmayne is finally going to be recognized by the Academy for being the actor I knew he was the whole time. I thought Eddie was on the cusp of being great when I saw My Week With Marilyn, where he just happened to be eclipsed by Michelle Williams. Then he proved me right in Les Miserables, where he turned in a great performance (and an even greater Empty Chairs and Empty Tables), but got lost at Awards time to his more well known cast mates. This time, there is no one to eclipse him. He is both the sun and the moon, and no matter what you are watching, he is the entire eclipse.
I’ve seen some stellar Best Actor contenders this year, from Michael Keaton in Birdman to Brendan Gleeson in Calvary. But Redmayne is far and away the most deserved performance I’ve seen. It’s a performance so strong, I believe he could have even beat Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club last year. What Redmayne does with so very little movement and speech is breathtaking, and commands attention.
That makes a campaign for Felicity Jones harder. While she’s really good in her role, and we watch a girl transform into a woman on screen, she just doesn’t have the material given to her that Redmayne has. This is like My Week With Marilyn again, and theres really only one person you can watch, and only one you can’t take your eyes off of. I also thought Charlie Cox was really good in his role, but he’ll likely be forgotten by nominating committees.
The film itself feels oddly rushed in the beginning, like we have to rush and get Hawking in the chair so Redmayne can really shine. I also feel like we’re watching a censored version of a larger story. Everything is too perfect. Everyone is too nice to each other. This is the kind of thing that happens when you make a biopic of someone who is still living, and currently beloved. It’s not a daring piece of work, it’s just a daring performance from an actor. As a film, Theory Of Everything is eclipsed by other films this year, but as a stand alone performance, Redmayne might actually carry it to a Best Picture nomination.
The film functions as a pretty solid ALS awareness campaign, as we watch one of the smartest people ever to walk the earth, be destroyed by a disease that makes it hard for him to share his knowledge with the world. I can only imagine the things Stephen Hawking would have accomplished, if not for his affliction. He might have truly found the Theory Of Everything.
FINAL GRADE: B+
