The King's Speech (Review)

To be a prominent figure these days, it is not good enough to just be good at your job. You have to look and sound the part. Many people say that these days the likes of Abraham Lincoln would never have been elected President, due to his less than impressive stature and strange voice. Unfortunately, for King George VI, he was not campaigning to be King, but instead he became monarch because he had to. Unfortunately, he also had a stammer, thus many saw him as unfit to be king, including himself.

In The King’s Speech, Colin Firth plays the reluctant king as a man who undoubtedly has much to say, but he just can’t spit it out. Whenever faced with public speaking, his speech defect gets the best of him. He wants to get better, but he has no faith that he can succeed. This all changes when he meets Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. Logue is an Australian speech therapist who, though unorthodox, has previously been able to help people move past their speech impediments. While the King, just the Duke of York at the time, is skeptical, he eventually relents and lets Logue treat him.

The King’s Speech is not your usual period piece in that it doesn’t focus on the glamour of British royal life. Nay, the film mostly takes place in dark, dusty rooms. Even the palaces that are shown are not lush and colorful. This is a world where nobody really wants to be King, least of all George VI. He only becomes monarch when his brother (Guy Pearce) abdicates so he may marry his American mistress. On top of this, George takes the throne with World War II lurking on the horizon. If ever a nation needed a leader, it was then. Preferably one who didn’t stutter.

Above all, what makes The King’s Speech work are the great performances by Firth and Rush, who often spend long scenes merely sitting/standing in a room talking to each other. Firth wishes to just be left alone, but Rush constantly probes, looking for a way into the head of the British monarch. What makes him tick? Why does he stammer? Rush’s Logue will not be denied, and each and every scene between the two is an absolute treasure to watch unfold. Helena Bonham Carter is also exceptional as the King’s wife who is willing to do whatever it takes to make her husband better.

In contrast to King George VI, we have Guy Pearce (who has a knack for hitting these small parts out of the park) as the short-lived King Edward VIII. Where George is a competent leader who simply can’t articulate, Edward is able to speak but is not particularly good at being king. He is more worried about his personal life than he is about his country. He ignores the threat of war, but instead throws parties with his future wife, the woman who would force him to abdicate. When George becomes king, suddenly he has much to face: his brother’s scandal, the threat of Hitler, and there’s still his stammer to be taken care of.

Director Tom Hooper’s last feature was the sports film The Damned United, which chronicled the fall of a soccer team. Before that, he directed the HBO miniseries John Adams. Here he and cinematographer Danny Cohen photographs with artful realism, creating a world which is not desirable, but must be led anyway. Eventually King George VI realizes it is not his choice to be king, but now he must lead. With the help of Logue, he can more than fit the bill.

Is it predictable? Of course it is, but some of the best films of this year have been able to take a basic formula and create something magnificent, and The King’s Speech is just that. On the surface, it may seem like the type of awards-grabbing hooey that would put me to sleep, the kind of film Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder would do. Mea culpa. The King’s Speech is no less than moving and inspiring from moment to moment, and the performances, screenplay and direction elevate it so that it becomes more than the norm. It’s above average in every way. It may be Oscar bait, but it's the best kind of Oscar bait.

Rating:  (out of 4)