The Theory of Everything: An Imperfect Romance of Love and Science

By Alex Nicoll

The Theory of Everything begins with a scene of Stephen Hawking riding a bicycle. This image is all foreshadowing: of Stephen’s impending diagnosis, of his loss of motor function, of his permanent seat in another kind of wheeled vehicle. Throughout the first act of the film, the camera finds a way to emphasize legs in almost every single scene. Stephen’s occasional shakes, tremors and dropped coffee cups come across as warnings of the earthquake that is about to destroy his motor functions.

However, the film's focus lies elsewhere, emphasized by a university buddy’s assert...