Hollywood has recently taken a shine to the concept of brilliant jerks who change the world in biopics, sometimes at the expense of the subjects of those films.

A good example is the Oscar-nominated Alan Turing biopic, “The Imitation Game,” which allegedly fictionalizes and falsely amplifies aspects of his personality to make him more unlovable, as a way to create drama.

The most interesting thing about “The Theory of Everything,” which documents the life of world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking, is that its small diversions from historical accuracy seem designed to lessen drama and make the story more pleasant.

This might seem strange, but in an era where accuracy is often thrown out the window in the name of increasing tension, this approach is kind of nice.

The end result is an enjoyable biographical love story that’s clearly designed to appeal to Oscar voters and more or less hits the notes you would expect from that kind of thing.

Fans of Hawking’s science may be disappointed to learn that “The Theory of Everything” largely focuses on his extreme physical disabilities (due to a motor-neuron disease) and his relationship with his first wife, Jane Wilde Hawking.

Hawking’s significant scientific accomplishments (which include large contributions to the Big Bang Theory) are more of a backdrop for his personal struggles, which admirably makes the movie a little more accessible.

The big talk about “The Theory of Everything” has mostly revolved around the performances of Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife, both of whom are nominated for Oscars this year.

Redmayne’s saddening depiction of the progression of Hawking’s disease is supposedly quite accurate (according to Hawking himself), and Jones brings a great deal of genuine emotional weight as their relationship gradually deteriorates. She won’t get as much attention as her male co-star, but she deserves it.

The film is adapted from Jane Hawking’s autobiography, and apparently it is fairly true to life, with a few exceptions. Notably, there is an implication that she began an extramarital affair (with a man she would later marry) during her relationship with Hawking, which has not been stated as fact and unfortunately just serves to heighten drama.

Otherwise, “The Theory of Everything” has reverence for its subject that some other films in the genre don’t. There are opportunities to make Hawking look narcissistic, but they are largely sidestepped in favor of making him sympathetic.

In that sense, it’s a slightly refreshing aspect of a movie that mostly adheres to formula. That may not appeal to you, but “The Theory of Everything” is largely pleasurable and avoids some of the holes its contemporaries have fallen into recently.