'The King's Speech' - Movie Review

The awards season is in full swing and the top contenders for the Oscar race are becoming clear. One film that is rising above the rest and may stand the best chance of taking the top prize as the Academy Awards is an intimate little film from England called "The King's Speech." The film harkens back to an older, less flashy type of film-making that is none the less extremely affecting and perfectly suited to the story being told. This wonderful true story tells of the struggles of a man but also of a nation as it headed towards war. And while treating these topics very seriously the film manages to be heartwarming and gloriously entertaining from start to finish.

"The King's Speech" opens with Prince Albert, the Duke of York (played by Colin Firth) attempting to speak at England's Wembly Stadium. Unfortunately Albert suffers from a severe stammer that makes it nearly impossible for him to even begin to speak for the crowd, much less complete his prepared speech. After several failed, and frankly ludicrous, treatments from various doctors Albert is prepared to simply swear off trying to ever cure his stammer. However as a member of the royal family, even though he is not in line for the thrown, he will be expected to speak publicly again. Knowing this his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) seeks out a speech therapist by the name of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush.) Logue's techniques are not the standard practices of the time, and even with a client as high profile as Albert he won't change his process. As a result Albert is soon making regular visits to Logue's sub-level and somewhat dingy offices. There the two men begin to slowly develop a trust that will allow Albert to overcome his difficulties and rise to the challenges of what history has in store for him. With the threat of Hilter looming ever larger and Albert's older brother (played by Guy Pierce) prepared to abdicate the thrown for love, Albert will have to become more than he ever thought he could be.

"The King's Speech" owes its power to quite a few factors, but none is more immediately apparent than the work of the cast. Colin Firth has the genuinely difficult job of making a member of the royal family relatable to everyday audiences. It's no small feat, as no movie goer will every be in his shoes and it's against most audiences' instinct to feel pity towards somebody born to extreme privilege. The key to making Albert a character that viewers will love is not only showing his vulnerability through his speech issues, but also to show how humble he was. Albert never had any ambition to be king, indeed he seemed to take some great relief in believing that responsibility would never fall to him. He wishes only to be with his family (with whom he has more success finding his voice) and avoid the public. Firth captures Albert's frailties but also his frustration and anger at not being able to find his own voice. Albert is not an inherently strong man, but he is able to rise to the occasion in a manner that is truly inspiring, and the performance is one that carries that journey to the audience wonderfully.

Supporting Firth most prominently is Geoffrey Rush. The key to his take on Logue is showing both that he cares very much for Albert, but also that he's not treating him differently from any other patient. One feels that Logue probably cares this much for all of those he seeks to help, and some insight into the character's history bares this feeling out. He's also wonderfully quick witted in a way that breaks the tension between him and Albert and gives the audience some great moments of laughter. Less flashy in her role but also quite pivotal is Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth. Carter has become known for her work in more over the top roles such as the Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland." Here she displays a quite regalness, she knows she is of a higher station than others but she doesn't act as though it makes her a better person. Carter is able to be both formal and endearing all at the same time. Also of note are Michael Gambon as Albert's father, a somewhat harsh man but also a man who clearly wants his son to aspire to greatness, and Guy Pierce as Edward, a romantic too wrapped up in his love life to take his station in life as seriously as he should. The only performance that seems slightly off is Timothy Spall as Winston Churchhill, though that probably has more to do with the fact that Churchhill is seems virtually impossible to impersonate without overdoing it somewhat.

While the acting in "The King's Speech" anchors the film, equal credit goes to the writing and directing, by David Seidler and Tom Hooper respectively. Both the script and the camera know where the focus should be, and that is on the Logue and Albert. However there's also careful work done to put their efforts into context. Viewers don't need to know a great deal about English history as the film is able to set the scene without ever feeling like a history lecture. There's a careful balance between the voice work that the two men do together and the world around them that's heading towards war. The film could also easily have become overly sweet or sentimental, however it always feels genuine and never lays it on so thick that things become cheesy. There's true emotion at the heart of this story, and it comes across. It has all the makings of a standard award-geared prestige picture, yet it is also highly entertaining in a way that such films rarely are.

"The King's Speech" is considered by many to be the film to beat at this year's Oscars, and given the quality and entertainment value of the film it's difficult to argue with that. Fantastic performances, an empowering story and tons of genuine heart make this a film worth seeing. One note about the rating, the film is rated R but that is for language only. Swearing becomes part of Albert's speech therapy and a fairly important part it in fact. So parents whose kids know enough to not repeat the words outside of the theater shouldn't be afraid to bring their teenage or even pre-teen kids.

Final Score: 5 out of 5