FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title´s Content and Context.....
Quite Literally.... Expecations are EVERYTHING! And I must say that mine were SKY HIGH... Before viewing!
And although I tried my very best to keep them in check, when I sat down to watch this, unfortunately, my expectations were just like what I mentioned earlier! Perhaps, just a tad TOO high...
PLEASE Don't get me wrong! EVERYTHING is both an exquisitely well-made film and a rather delicious, interesting and quite entertaining experience! Here, I will make my very best effort to explain exactly why this is the case.
EVERYTHING jump starts itself by introducing us to a rather soft-spoken, nerdy (what else?) young Physics doctoral
candidate: One Stephen Hawking! Within minutes, we are inserted into the stop-motion bloom of Stephen and Jane's
surprisingly intense and, yes, sweet relationship!
In its early minutes, we also get some foreshadowing of Stephen's ominous deteriorating health, which, obviously, in and of itself, will not prove to be the least bit surprising to anyone watching the film. EVERYTHING is clearly Stephen Hawking from his first wife, Jane's perspective. Considering that the movie is based on her book, could it have been anything else? As a logical result, what we get here is a focus on Stephen Hawking the man, the husband; his private persona, much more than his public and professional persona!
Will this emphasis on his relationship with Jane and his prolonged struggle with ALS and its debilitating effects, leave some people feeling somewhat shortchanged? Undoubtedly, there will be some. EVERYTHING isn't completely devoid of moments that underscore Hawking's scientific mindset and insight, however...They're just not nearly as many as one might expect, particularly in light of exactly who he is and what he has done to achieve fame! I prefer not to go into any more detail, because we wouldn't want any SP**LERS.... now would we?
An interesting personal anecdote in relation to Mr. Hawking: For many years, I naturally assumed that he was an American...Why? Well, as I'm sure perhaps millions of you have noticed, when he speaks, using what has come to be considered his trademark computerized voice, he clearly speaks with an American accent! To my chagrin, just a few years back, did I discover that it was simply a case of AMERICAN technology determining to use its own voice!
EVERYTHING's only real shortcoming? Quite honestly, the movie seems to do a lot of "Reelin In the Years!" during its last three-quarters of an hour, or so. To clarify that a bit, the movie constantly skips forward a few years at a time, briefly shows us a new son or daughter, for example, in a couple scenes, then jumps forward a couple years and repeats this process! Perhaps the sheer volume of detailed events in Hawking's life would have been better served by presenting them in a four or six hour mini-series? Just a parting opinion!
8********.... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en ESPAÑOL, are most welcome!
