The Theory of Everything (2014)

A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.

Director:

James Marsh

Writers:

Anthony McCarten (screenplay), Jane Hawking (book)

Stars:

Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Tom Prior

Won 1 Oscar. Another 24 wins & 123 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Redmayne	...	Stephen Hawking
Felicity Jones	...	Jane Hawking
Tom Prior	...	Robert Hawking - Age 17
Sophie Perry	...	Lucy Hawking - Age 14
Finlay Wright-Stephens	...	Timothy Hawking - Age 8
Harry Lloyd	...	Brian
Alice Orr-Ewing	...	Diana King
David Thewlis	...	Dennis Sciama
Thomas Morrison	...	Carter
Michael Marcus	...	Ellis
Gruffudd Glyn	...	Rees
Paul Longley	...	Barman - Rowing Club
Emily Watson	...	Beryl Wilde
Guy Oliver-Watts	...	George Wilde
Simon McBurney	...	Frank Hawking

Storyline

The Theory of Everything is the story of the most brilliant and celebrated physicist of our time, Stephen Hawking, and Jane Wilde the arts student he fell in love with whilst studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. Little was expected from Stephen Hawking, a bright but shiftless student of cosmology, given just two years to live following the diagnosis of a fatal illness at 21 years of age. He became galvanized, however, by the love of fellow Cambridge student, Jane Wilde, and he went on to be called the successor to Einstein, as well as a husband and father to their three children. Over the course of their marriage as Stephen's body collapsed and his academic renown soared, fault lines were exposed that tested the lineaments of their relationship and dramatically altered the course of both of their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

cambridge university | husband wife relationship | lou gehrig's disease | cosmology | physicist | 

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Taglines:

His mind changed our world. Her love changed his.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Felicity Jones's Best Actress Oscar-nominated performance was the only one in the category in a Best Picture nominee that year.

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Goofs

When getting on the train from Cambridge to go to London, the carriages of the train are painted in the green Southern Region livery which would not have been on the Cambridge to London route.

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Quotes

Brian: Stephen, your 'motor-mouth' disease, does it affect, um...
Stephen Hawking: What?
Brian: [Gesturing towards his crotch] Uh, everything?
Stephen Hawking: What? No. Different system. Automatic.
Brian: Are you serious? Well that's pretty wonderful isn't it? Well it certainly explains a lot about men.

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Connections

References Doctor Who (1963)

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Soundtracks

Ave Verum Corpus
(uncredited)
14th century Eucharistic hymn
Lyrics by Pope Innocent VI
[Sung by Jonathan's church choir]

User Reviews

Excellent, but not Cliff Notes on Quantum Mechanics

I've read scientists are turned off by this film for its omissions, simplifications, falsities, and other failures to explain Prof. Hawking's theories. I can understand that, being a law specialist who can't watch law dramas. But if you're not a cosmologist or a physicist you should not be discouraged by the film's failure to give you enough detail for a two credit course. It's a good drama of people, a bit schmaltzy as befits the facts, and in that regard I understand it's pretty accurate, and is definitely well acted and directed. Also a nice glimpse of what Oxbridge life was like in the 1950s. As they say, the male lead is Oscar bait.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

UK Japan USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

26 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Theory of Everything

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$208,763, 9 November 2014

Gross USA:

$35,893,537

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$123,726,688

Company Credits

Production Co:

Working Title Films, Dentsu Motion Pictures, Fuji Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1