The King's Speech Review

I'll admit I can sometimes have it in for a film before I see it. I like to think that, once in the cinema, I can have my mind changed if the film is genuinely good; Kick Ass is a good example of a film I fully expected to hate and that won me over. It's not that I expected to hate The King's Speech, it's just that it seemed like the kind of Oscar-bait movie the months of December and January tend to serve up, films professing their own worthiness whilst acutally not doing too much of anything. Imagine my surprise when The King's Speech turned out to be a highly engaging, witty, wonderfully written and acted movie.

It's 1925 and Albert, Duke of York (a career best Colin Firth) tries to deliver a speech to the Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium but is thwarted by his terrible stammer. His wife Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother (played with a fantastically light touch by Helena Bonham Carter) seeks help from Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) whose unorthodox methods of treatment have made his reputation preceed him. This relationship forms the cornerstone of the film as Lionel attempts to break down deep seated fears and insecurities within "Bertie" as Lionel insists on calling the future King, as well as treating the mechanics of the speech impediment. Their relationship develops alongside an incredibly tumultous period in royal history, and indeed British history generally, as King George V (Michael Gambon) dies and is succeeded by Albert's older brother David (a slightly over the top Guy Pearce) who is enamoured by American divorcee Wallis Simpson. When David abdicates to marry Mrs Simpson, Albert assumes the throne, putting enormous pressure on Logue's ability to cure the reluctant king of his affliction. This pressure climaxes when Britain declares war on Germany and Albert, now King George VI (but still Bertie to his family and Logue) must deliver the nation's first wartime address.

Imagine Rocky but instead of boxing it's speech therapy and instead of a nobody from Philly it's a reluctant King and you have The King's Speech. Actually that's incredibly unfair to David Seidler's intelligent screenplay (based upon his play) great acting from the leads and spot on direction from Tom Hooper. The film makes you genuinely care about the fate of the new King. You are absolutely rooting for him to knock the speech out of the park and, as he speaks into the microphone, Logue all but conducts him, utilising every trick and technique they have practiced to get him through this most important moment of his life so far. It's a truly fantastic sequence and provides a genuinely heartlifting finale without resorting to sentimentality. The history of the piece is fascinating and details such as the encroaching nature of the newly invented radio upon the Royals, adds life, texture and believability to the world of the film.

Geoffrey Rush has long been one of my favourite actors and this is one of his best performances. His desire to "better himself" is perfectly judged, his warmth and humanity genuine and never cloying. His strange treatment methods never lapse into the contrived (as can so often be the way with films like this when there's a "wacky doctor" "going against the establishment") and his amusingly bad attempts at performing Shakespeare never lapse into parody due to his obvious love for the Bard. The revelation though is Colin Firth. A dependable actor, he has never particularly stood out for me. He was good in last year's A Single Man but was let down by the film. Here, the writing and directing support him every step of the way, and he creates a character of humour, intelligence, pain and bravery. You feel everything he feels without him playing obvious "repression" or, at the other end of the spectrum, lapsing into hysterics. Like everything else in the film, it's perfectly judged and he has set himself up as the man to beat at this year's Oscars.

The film isn't breaking new ground and it definitely is the kind of "awards bait" movie I mentioned at the start of this review. But they are the worst things you can say about it. Subtle, warm, funny and heartwarming, The King's Speech is that rarest of things; a great story well told.

8/10