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 25 wins & 122 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

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, 7 November 2014, Limited Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adam Godley, who played a doctor in this film, played Stephen Hawking's father in the film Hawking (2004), which featured Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Goofs

When Steven Hawking's life is played backwards and rewinds later in the movie, the sequence of his collapse and tracheotomy are the wrong way around. It should show him having the operation, then winding back to his collapse in the Wagner concert, but the incidents are in the wrong reverse order.

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Quotes

Stephen Hawking: [from trailer] What if I reverse time to see what happened at the beginning of time itself?
Jane Hawking: Wind back the clock?

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Connections

Referenced in Empire: The Lyon's Roar (2015)

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Soundtracks

Transformation
Written by Dominic Smith (as Smith), Jason Swinscoe (as Swinscoe)
Performed by The Cinematic Orchestra
Courtesy of Walt Disney Records

User Reviews

Astounding Oscar worthy performance from Eddie Redmayne

We are all familiar with the story and with Steven Hawking. His groundbreaking work 'A brief History of Time' and devastating disabilities propelled him irrevocably into the public consciousness and immortal fame.

But few of us could understand the complexities of his personal life and the shocking divorce in 1990 from his long sacrificing wife of more than 25 years. Indeed that episode served to darken his reputation in the minds of many, including myself, who felt ill at ease with anyone who could leave a partner who had done so much for him just at the long awaited moment when international fame and recognition finally arrived.

This wonderful production, so well scripted and paced throughout, serves to explain that vital anomaly in Hawking's life. And it is made all the more poignant as it is based upon the account written by his wife who has borne so much.

But it is the breathtaking performance of Eddie Redmayne as Hawking that simply blasted this film into an extraordinary level. It is difficult enough to mimic so famous a person as Hawking and it is even more difficult to portray so accurately the debilitating and gradually increasing effects of Motor Neuron Disease. But to transmit so clearly the profound emotions and inner suffering that Hawking must have experienced in his agonizing journey was a performance that left me quite speechless and at times in uncontrollable tears.

It would be a travesty of the industry if Eddie Redmayne is not nominated for an Oscar after this performance. And to my mind it was a work of art that simply cannot be equaled let alone beaten.

Have a good handkerchief ready to hand.