November 21, 2014 -- I was familiar with most of the details of the life of famed physicist Stephen Hawking and his marriage to Jane Wilde, having seen a documentary about his life recently, but seeing this film is a whole new experience. It brings out the passion, humor and love in the lives of Stephen and Jane and makes it all quite real, poignant and wonderful. After seeing so many films that show the worst in people, it is refreshing to see people at their best.

This film handles the romance between Hawking and his first wife with great delicacy and tact. The screenplay by Anthony McCarten, based on Jane's book, “Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen,” never makes a wrong turn, and neither do the actors. The fact that Stephen and Jane divorce and marry other people is also shown in the movie with even more delicacy and tact. It is all done very tastefully, without losing any passion in the telling.

Jane (played by Felicity Jones of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) and Stephen (played by Eddie Redmayne of “Les Misérables”) meet in college, while he is studying physics and she is studying romance languages. She believes in God, Stephen does not, but his passion is the search for truth through mathematics. About the time Stephen's professors learn they have a genius in their classrooms, Stephen is struck down with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). His doctors tell him he has only two years left to live.

Knowing what lies ahead for him, gradual loss of the ability to walk and even speak, he isolates himself from everyone, but Jane confronts him, in a wonderfully played romantic scene and tells him she loves him and wants to be with him, no matter how little time they have left. Hawking's intellect is left intact, even as his control over his body is slipping away. He sits in a wheelchair for the first time, telling Jane it is only temporary. But they both know this is permanent.

The demands on Jane grow as she spends more and more time taking care of Stephen and their three children. They do not have enough money to hire a nurse to help out. Jane's mother (played by the formidable Emily Watson) advises Jane to join the church choir. Jane replies “That's the most English thing anyone's ever said to me.” It turns out to be excellent advice, as the choirmaster, Jonathan Hellyer Jones (Charlie Cox of “Stone of Destiny” proves to be a wonderful friend to the family. He helps to take care of Stephen and the kids.

When Jonathan and Jane are confronted by rumors that she is cheating on Stephen with Jonathan, he agrees to leave, but is brought back when Stephen personally goes to Jonathan and requests his help. The story continues on through a medical emergency, and finally Stephen learning to communicate with new computer equipment, which he uses to write his best-selling book, “A Brief History of Time.” We see his emergence as the world's most famous theoretical physicist since Einstein.

The beauty of this film is that it captures both Hawking's relentless pursuit of the true nature of the universe and his love for Jane and his children. It shows how both Jane and Stephen are eventually drawn to other people, but they remain friends. When Jane realizes that Stephen is leaving the marriage, she tells him “I did my best,” and you absolutely believe her. There is no bitterness there.

This is no tale of juvenile love. It is not a romantic fantasy. These are adult people dealing with substantial problems with intelligence, love, wit, charm and respect for each other. This should not be so rare to see in a movie, but it is, and it is wonderful to see. This film is the best of the year. It rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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