The King's Speech (2010) R

Just because this film will probably win best picture at the Oscars this upcoming weekend doesn't mean I'm obligated to like it. I knew the acting was going to be very good, but director Tom Hooper (The Damned United, John Adams) is still rather young. The screenplay was written by David Seidler, whose body of work is less than impressive. Despite having some question marks going in, this film lived up to the hype. Does it deserve best picture? I'm not certain of that, but it's a damn good British film.

Colin Firth (A Single Man, Love Actually) is coming off the best performance of his career in A Single Man, and he outdid it by a wide margin here. Firth probably deserves best actor; he's that good. Firth plays Prince Albert "Bertie", the Duke of York. He's the second son of King George V (Michael Gambon). He has a normal family with a wife and two kids. His wife Elizabeth, played by Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Big Fish), always stands by his side. Bertie is a normal Prince; until he opens his mouth that is. He has a speech impediment, better known as a "stutter."

Even when he's reading bedtime stories to his daughters he stutters without control. It's not the best disorder to have when you're a Prince and must make public appearances from time to time. The film opens at a football (soccer) stadium where Bertie is preparing to make a speech in front of thousands of people. He's extremely nervous for good reason, but everyone assures him he'll be just fine. Doubtful. Ten seconds into his speech we see that he's in for a bumpy ride. To make matters worse he gets nervous, and nothing comes out at all. Just silence...

After the embarrassing speech, Bertie and his wife Elizabeth visit many speech therapists, but none of them work. Not even a little bit. Meanwhile, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the royal family and all its glory (or lack thereof). Bertie's father, King George V, tries to help him snap out of his stutter by yelling at him over and over again. Bertie's playboy brother Edward (Guy Pearce) is planing on marrying a divorced American woman, which is unheard of at those times. Edward pokes fun at Bertie quite often.

Elizabeth finds an unorthodox speech therapist by the name of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). They give it one last try. Lionel rubs Bertie the wrong way from the get go, but after Bertie sees some improvement in his speech he comes back for more. Every single day Lionel and Bertie get together and do outrageous drills to help his stutter. Lionel believes the impediment began after a traumatic experience at a young age, but Bertie won't reveal too much about himself. Lionel's wife Myrtle (Jennifer Ehle) often gives him advice, which usually works. Despite the rather primitive times, women do have strong roles in this film.

When the King's health starts going south, Edward starts preparing to take over as King. Despite his recent engagement to a divorced woman, he plans on taking over. Bertie and many others think it is unwise, because the people will not follow a man who went against God. Edward thinks it's jealousy. After King George V dies, Edward begins his reign. Meanwhile, Bertie is slowly making progress with his speech. There are a few set-backs from time to time, but Lionel and Bertie move forward and start to become friends.

This film is based on a true story, so it's obviously predictable. We already know what's going to happen in the end and that Bertie eventually becomes King George VI, but you should witness it all yourself. I don't think this film is as emotional as most people make it out to be, but it's a true underdog story with bite. Prince Albert overcame some serious odds to play a large role against Adolf Hitler in the early '40s.

If you're contemplating seeing this film before it exits theaters in a hurry (which will be soon), I say see it! If you're old enough, then this is a must-see. Age (16+), race or heritage shouldn't matter, this film is a winner. Firth and Rush (Munich, House on Haunted Hill) are tremendous, and Pearce (Memento, Animal Kingdom) and Bonham Carter are very good. Also, Timothy Spall (Vanilla Sky, The Last Samurai) and Derek Jacobi (Gladiator, The Golden Compass) have extremely good small roles, especially Spall as Winston Churchill. The dialogue is fantastic and the performances are stellar, so go see it before it's too late!
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