The Best Part of ‘Oppenheimer’ Is One Historical Figure in Particular
Oppenheimer is a very serious movie. The weight of the world is on J. Robert Oppenheimer’s shoulders and the monster he created can destroy everything. The film itself ends with Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) recognizing that he does believe he destroyed the world with the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb. We can see it in his actions, in his fight against the hydrogen bomb, and his dedication to stopping the use of the weapon that he helped to create. And so it is odd that we’re all poking fun and having a grand ol’ time talking about Albert Einstein.
Played by Tom Conti, Einstein and Oppenheimer have a relationship that is built on the work that Einstein does to help other like-minded folks while they believe him to be out of touch with the science of the now. The first time we see him, Einstein says as much to Oppenheimer. His conversations with Oppenheimer are not light or happy, and yet, he is the funniest part of this movie for some good reason: He just is always around Princeton just having a time all on his own.
We first see him when Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) invites Oppenheimer to Princeton and offers him a position there. When we go back in time to the Manhattan Project, it’s revealed that Oppenheimer brought Edward Teller’s (Benny Safdie) math to Einstein to look at and ask his advice on. And then we see him again at Princeton as well. So throughout the movie, that’s where he pretty much always is, and it is genuinely funny to see him just kind of pop up occasionally to tell Robert about how he’s going to destroy the world. Funny stuff.
Remember when he was just standing behind a car?
For me, he’s my favorite part, not because I do genuinely think its funny but because every time he shows up, I feel like I should be cheering for Einstein. At one point, Oppenheimer’s lawyer leaves his house when it feels like he’s going to have his security clearance revoked (so the latest time we see Oppenheimer and Einstein talking) and he just seems to be standing behind the car waiting for them to leave. So when they drive away, it’s a slow reveal. It’s genuinely a shocking surprise, and I like to think that somewhere, people also wanted to cheer when they saw him.
Maybe it is just because we’re seeing Einstein through the moments when Oppenheimer needs him/when they live close enough together to talk to him more regularly, but in the context of the movie, he just pops in to make Oppenheimer question his life and then walks away. That, to me, is hilariously poignant and perfect. So, seeing everyone become obsessed with Conti’s Einstein is what he deserves.
Even if he does look like a sitcom’s funny uncle at times.
So this is for you, Einstein. I love you so much. Never change.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
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