A brief history of The Theory of Everything

James Marsh directed The Theory of Everything but in every way it's Eddie Redmayne's movie to make or break, and I think all will agree that he does an amazing job portraying Stephen Hawking as he matures, grows, and simultaneously breaks down physically over the course of his adult life. Redmayne's Hawking evolves from a gawky but sweet physics grad-student nerd (are there redundancies there?) but awkwardly pursues and wins the beautiful girl (Felicity Jones) just as he's diagnosed with fatal ALS. "Given" only 2 years to live, he aggressively develops his theories about black holes, winning renown and eventually fame (and wealth), as his physical condition deteriorates, not over two years but over about 50 years, and still counting. The movies is light on the physics - some may say, thankfully (if you're interested in a film that will convey contemporary physics in totally accessible and even fun way, see Particle Fever); the movie is really a personal story of a difficult marriage and of the struggle of a genius against his disabilities, similar in some ways to A Beautiful Mind. One of the great strengths of the film is the honesty w/ which it faces some of the most troubling issues of the marriage: sexual relations, the need both (especially his wife, Jane) feel for intimacy with others, the eventual breakdown of the marriage (there they may have glossed over some of the more troubling material - and of course the source from the screenplay is Jane Hawking's account of the relationship). The cinematography is especially beautiful, in particular some of the early night sequences in Cambridge, a few passages that show life from Hawking's POV, and an imaginative conclusion in which time is reversed. Redmayne is or should be a candidate for best-actor awards, though it's become almost a Hollywood cliche to grant awards to those who play people with disabilities (a particularly sensitive matter, as actors with disabilities feel marginalized in the acting community).