Kingâs Speech
It really is quite quaint and amusing the way that British people still cling to the idea of having a Royal Family to worship and regard in awe (even while their tax dollars go to their upkeep) when mostly the only purpose they serve is to have various public screw-ups to keep the tabloid papers in business, but at one point they were looked at if nothing else as symbolic âworld leadersâ, helpless to bring about any government change or reform but relied upon nonetheless to give so-called âgrand speechesâ that would rally the sheep-like subjects around their fake leader. Such is the case with this 2010 release (and winner of several Oscars including Best Picture) about King George VI (and father of their current Queen, Elizabeth) who reluctantly ascended to the throne upon the abdication of his randy older brother Edward (simply for the unforgivable crime of loving a woman who was twice divorced) and finding himself petrified at the idea of having to give those big speeches because he suffered from an awful stuttering problem and had to appear at least on the surface to be a strong, confident leader. The absurdity of this real-life premise is at least partially redeemed by the acting: Colin Firth as the King is rightfully shown as arrogant, but does come off as sympathetic at times, and the way he pulls off the condition of a chronic stutterer seems frighteningly authentic to say the least, but it is Geoffrey Rush as the Australian commoner speech therapist brought in to help him that arguably steals the show, refusing to bow and genuflect before the King and insisting on treating and addressing him as merely one of his patients, even as Firth snagged the Best Actor Oscar and Rush had to be content with merely a nomination for Supporting. Also in the cast are Helena Bonham-Carter as the Queen Mother, showing a gentle, sympathetic side to her husbandâs embarrassing woes; Derek Jacobi as the Archbishop who would seemingly have a stroke if the ancient traditions are not followed to the letter; Guy Pierce in full pompous mode as the cocky older brother and king-not-to-be; Timothy Spall with a bizarre circus sideshow impression of Winston Churchill; and Michael Gambon bringing some genuine authority with only a little screen time as old King George V. The script skirts over many of the darker aspects of the British monarchy in favor of humorous moments mostly involving Rush like when he has The King recite Shakespeare while wearing headphones or when he encourages The King to make liberal use of the F word during therapy (which solely earned the film an R rating) or when he casually sits on the throne only to have The King throw a raging fit (during which he speaks perfectly) that keep the movie from descending into sickeningly saccharine territory, as itâs really about these two powerful actors developing the relationship between their characters and to that extent, it IS good, but is still a film best enjoyed by those who continue to have a naĂŻve adulation of the family it portraysâŚ
7/10