The King's Speech is Well Worth It

I finally managed to get around to watching this movie, which is absolutely amazing considering all of the hype about it. But with two children and a full time, out of the home job, it's often really difficult to find a few hours at night to watch a movie completely through without wanting to fall asleep. However, this one managed to keep me awake and interested!

For those of you who live under a rock, "The King's Speech" is a movie based upon historical fact. It tells the story of Prince George, the man who would become king in the years leading up to World War 2 (and the father of Queen Elizabeth 11). George, A.K.A. "Bertie," becomes the heir to the throne after his elder brother abdicates the throne in order to marry an American divorcee. "Bertie" is required to give a speech on the eve of the United Kingdom's entrance into WW2; however he experiences an intense amount of anxiety because he is plagued by a seemingly incurable stammer that interferes drastically with his ability to talk to people that he is intimidated by, let alone give a radio telecast. As a result of his speech impediment, he hires a speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush). Together, the pair work together, utilizing various different (and sometimes unorthodox) treatment methods in the hopes of "curing" the speech impediment.

I was truly and utterly impressed by the performances given in this movie - they were all magnificent. Everyone from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, to Helena Bonham Carter (who plays the future queen) were astounding. The story was also very well done and very interesting, even though everyone knew what was going to happen. The characters were very deep and I was mesmerized. I thought that the historical background and political perspectives were deftly woven into the background of the movie, giving it the ring of authenticity. This movie could easily have gotten totally sappy, but it didn't. Instead, it touted courage and hard work. And I appreciated it. Definitely worth it.