Redmayne, Vikander shine brilliantly in 'Danish Girl'

Tom Hooper's visually sumptuous "The Danish Girl" follows the formula of James Marsh's 2014 visually arresting "The Theory of Everything."

Both are dramatically tepid, formula fact-based dramas about outcast pioneers played by a tormented Eddie Redmayne (in sterling silver form) backed by strong music scores plus winning performances from Redmayne's female co-stars (then Felicity Jones, now Alicia Vikander).

In 1926 Copenhagen, painter Einar Wegener (Redmayne) has been happily married to struggling artist Gerda (Vikander) for six years. Things drastically change one day when Gerda asks Einar to dress up as a woman and pose for her.

Suddenly, art dealers love Gerda's new subject, and Einar is given license to indulge his interest in feminine garb and cosmetics, natural urges that eventually guide him to become a groundbreaking transgender figure, Lili Elbe.

"The Danish Girl," adapted by Lucinda Coxon from David Ebershoff's 2000 fictionalized account of Elbe's life, operates on the same inoffensively genteel format employed by "The Theory of Everything." In each film, Redmayne brings dignity and authenticity to characters undergoing drastic, physical and psychological changes. (In "Theory," he portrayed student physicist Stephen Hawking wrestling with motor nurone disease.)

Einar's gender-identification odyssey must have been a frightening and tragic experience in reality, but in Hooper's artistically enhanced universe (with Danny Cohen's composed camera work capturing Eve Stewart's eye-popping production designs), the road to transgender fulfillment feels like a walk in the British park.

Outside of two homophobic thugs accosting Einar in effeminate attire, Redmayne's quiet painter remains relatively free to pursue his passion with his super-supportive wife remaining at his side during a daring, experimental surgery that could threaten his life.

Redmayne's sublime, subtle performance gives "The Danish Girl" what narrative momentum it packs. Last year's Oscar winner for Best Actor, Redmayne again establishes himself as an effervescently likable performer, as is Vikander as a sexy and kinetic artist spouse.

But sometimes, likable characters can't compensate for a movie striving to be inoffensively likable.

"The Danish Girl" opens at the River East 21 and Century Centre theaters in Chicago, plus the Evanston Century 12 Theater. Rated R for nudity, sexual situations. 120 minutes. ★ ★ ★