Eddington and Einstein is a TV movie co-produced by HBO and the BBC, and you can tell. It has a humble setup, costume design, and style of editing, but it’s elevated by a smart script and strong performances. You can’t go wrong with Tennant and Serkis, although it is unfortunate that they rarely share a screen here. The movie parallels their discoveries, shedding light into the drama of their personal lives as well—Einstein with his love for a woman other than his wife, Eddington with his forbidden love for his friend William. These parts tend to get soapy, but scenes where they almost seemed possessed with scientific knowledge more than make up for it. Another drawback is the terrible misuse of Rebecca Hall, relegated here as Woman Who Pushes Male Lead To Follow His Heart, but again, all is forgiven when you see Eddington and Einstein in action. You can almost hear the whir of their clockwork brains when they think of something new to ground Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Synopsis
A look at the evolution of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, and Einstein's relationship with British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington, the first physicist to understand his ideas.
Storyline
Tells the story of how British scientist Arthur Eddington (David Tennant) and German revolutionary Albert Einstein (Andy Serkis) worked to prove Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity against the backdrop of World War I.
TLDR
Like Oppenheimer, but exponentially more chill.
What stands out
That scene where Tennant, as Eddington, explains Einstein’s theory of relativity using a tablecloth and a loaf of bread is genius. I saw a glint of the Doctor in his eyes.
