What one believes is irrelevant in physics

I learned, rather abruptly, about an hour ago that Stephen Hawking, one my heroes has died.

I thought of a film loosely based on his life story and about the review I wrote of it several years ago. Fitting I guess since I have been posting lots of reviews lately.

I've re-published it below with two minor corrections. I fixed a typo and changed the wording for one of the links.

And, here it is...

I normally like to post movie reviews on Saturday. The Theory of Everything is certainly not a traditional Valentine's Day love story, but it does seem like a good fit for today.

It tells the story of Stephen Hawking, his battle with a devastating disease, and his family, based on a book written by one of the women who loved him. As I wrote a couple of days three years :) ago Hawking's work has had a tremendous impact on my life, so this was a film I was not going to miss.

What one believes is irrelevant in physics.

I wasn't sure what to expect. As is my normal practice, I avoided too much information about the movie beforehand, but since this is a man I know quite a bit about already, I couldn't help but try to imagine how the story would be told. The title itself was a mystery to me. How do you end a film about a man who is still alive and title it after a theory he hasn't developed yet. My interest was piqued and I hoped the title would have some meaning beyond just pulling words out of his life at random.

Now I understand, I think, what the title means.

Like The Imitation Game, it tells a story that is both sad and inspiring. It touches thoughtfully on what it means - and what it costs - to love someone completely.

Eddie Redmayne's performance as Hawking was nothing short of masterful. His portrayal of Hawking's gradual physical deterioration is perfectly done. Felicity Jones also turns in an excellent performance, but most of the other characters are forgettable. Perhaps that's fitting since this really is a film about these two people.

An imperfect film with nearly perfect performances. Highly recommended.

Your glasses are always dirty.

cross-posted from my blog