Movie Review - The King's Speech

The King's Speech is the most surprising, enjoyable, moving film in this year's crowded list of Best Picture nominees. I went into it expecting a stuffy, dry, Ivory-Merchant period piece about dusty aristocrats. I got an exciting, very funny, heart wrenching buddy picture.

The film tells the story of King George VI who, after his brother abdicates the throne of England, must lead his country into the second World War. He is thrust into a position of power and a quarter of the world's people look to him as their leader. The King, however, has a crippling speech impediment that makes every public address, every speech, a nerve-wracking affair. The audience looks away, ashamed and embarrassed for their monarch. Not the type of moving oratory the King would prefer to deliver. Enter Lionel Logue, a speech defect expert who, though highly unorthadox, helps the King prevail in his time of need.

The movie, while a period piece about British royalty before the second World War, is as contemporary as The Social Network. The film shows how our ability to communicate to "post our status" to others is essential to our ability to feel whole and to fulfill our ambitions. Firth's King is a fully-formed, decent leader who has the ability and the brains to lead his nation through a terrible period. But can he master the ability to communicate his ideas effectively? Can he help them see the monarch who will stop at nothing to protect and inspire them? The question of communication and the influence (both good and bad) of the media and technology are at the heart of this movie. The fact that the computer was decades away from being invented doesn't make this movie feel old fashioned or out of date. Quite the contrary.

Colin Firth's performance is powerful and bold. He deserves the critical praise he is receiving. As the stuttering King George VI, he breaks our hearts with his speech impediment and the quiet, punished dignity in his eyes. His suffering is palpable and his every struggle to communicate a slap in the face for him and his royal family. Geoffrey Rush has a blast as the crazy, family-centric man who works to break the King free of his shell. This is a wonderful performance and, hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for. And this guy already WON the Best Actor award in 1996 for Shine. He's really great in the movie and his screen time with Firth is electric, moving, and often hilarious. Helena Bonham Carter is the best she's ever been as a wife, so devoted to her husband and family. A single look from her tells volumes.

In the field of depressing, dark, pessimistic, jaded movies this year The King's Speech is a bright spot. An intelligent, emotional picture that allows all of us to see the humanity of royalty. This is a must see and truly deserving of its nomination for Best Picture.