Dove Review

“The Theory of Everything” features strong performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane. She cares for him despite his ALS diagnosis and its devastating effects on his life. He is a brilliant physicist, but they make a bit of an odd couple because he doubts her Christian belief in God. He says, “I have a slight problem with the celestial dictatorship premise.” Jane endures a lot as a result of Stephen’s suffering, and her pain will be felt by the audience.

Despite the good performances and the realistic look into suffering and the human spirit’s ability to bounce back, the film features the infidelity of a married couple and we are prevented from awarding “The Theory of Everything” our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

Man hits a table in anger.

3

Sex

Kissing by a few couples; couple of sexual remarks that are not graphic; both husband and wife stray from each other to have affairs with other people; woman goes to a man's tent at night but the scene ends there; pornographic magazine is seen but what is shown is not graphic.

2

Language

M/G-1; D-1; SOB-1; Slang for breasts-1.

1

Violence

Man hits a table in anger.

2

Drugs

Wine, beer and champagne; students appear drunk; scene at a pub; homemade wine is offered to a character; spinal tap is given to man and we see the needle inserted; some haze from smoke but no smoking is seen.

2

Nudity

Man's back is seen while he is in the bath tub; side of a woman's breast is partially seen in a magazine.

2

Other

When asked if he ever considered converting to Christianity, Hawking replies, "I have a slight problem with the celestial dictatorship premise;" Hawking makes other comments about religion, referring to himself as a cosmologist, or "atheist;" Hawking's wife is a member of a church; man falls down on the sidewalk and cuts his face; man spits up blood.