Director: Tom Hooper
Time: 1 hour and 51 minutes
Genre: Drama
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pierce
We saw many brilliant movies in 2010 -- "True Grit", "Inception", "Black Swan", "The Social Network" and "The Fighter" are all worthy of high praise. However, after watching "The King's Speech" this weekend, there are two thing that I'm positive will happen when the Oscar's come around this month: 1) Colin Firth will earn the award for Best Actor 2) "The King's Speech" will win Best Picture.
The film is set during the crowning of King George VI of England. The King, also known as 'Bertie' (Colin Firth) by his family, must be the icon that his country can look up to during this tumultuous period in England's history. But Bertie has suffered from a serious speech impediment since his childhood which will clearly jeopardize his appearance to the country. He acquires the help of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist with very quirky techniques. Will the King overcome his impediment and be the figure that England needs or will he stumble upon the microphone and forever be defined by his stammer?
"The King's Speech" is the culmination of a heart-warming story combined with an unexpected acting duo. While not all of us have had a speech impediment, we all can relate to having an embarrassing fault that perhaps prevents us from attaining our respective goals. Seeing that with King George brings the story closer to home and gives the King a much more human appearance -- even royalty is affected by the problems that the common man must face.
The other factor that makes this film truly standout is the on-screen chemistry between Firth and Rush. Credit the dialogue or the actor's themselves -- whatever it is, they bring out the best in each other. There is such a visible difference between their characters' perceptions that each shines much brighter because of the other. The polarity between the characters helps emphasize one of the story's smaller themes as well. (The social separation between the royalty and the middle class).
Geoffrey Rush is so strong in his supporting role that the biggest shame here is that he will probably lose the Oscar to Christian Bale for his work in "The Fighter". Nonetheless, Rush gives a powerful performance and quells any doubt about his acting prowess that may have arose from his performance in "The Warrior's Way".
But Colin Firth steals the show. It must be very difficult to sell a stammer as an actor the way Firth does. It is so believable and Firth goes even deeper into character and truly portrays the vulnerability and impatience that the impediment has on his persona. Firth does something very special with this role and deserves much praise for his work.
The Oscar's are in February and "The King's Speech" is going to win Best Picture. If you want to know what all the hype is about, catch it tonight at the Tango Theatres. It lives up to all its praise and is also a fun film filled with drama, inspiration, laughter and success. For a movie filled with so much stuttering, I find it ironic that I cannot stop talking about it.
5 out of 5 stars.
 | 
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2023 KUAM. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service, and Ad Choices. |
