The King’s Speech

My enjoyment of this year’s Oscar race front runner (with 12 nominations) likely suffered from high expectations.  I anticipated a movie that would knock my socks off and instead found a fairly subdued, quiet, and gentle tale of a man finding his inner strength at a crucial junction in history.

The plot: when British King George V dies, his eldest son, Edward, becomes King Edward VIII.  His reign, however, lasts very little as he chooses to abdicate the throne rather than give up his planned marriage to the twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.  Reluctantly, George VI ascends to the throne, in spite of a strong form of stutter that would greatly impede his duties and likely tarnish his image as a strong and reliable monarch, especially on the eve of World War II.  In order to overcome this impediment, the help of an unorthodox speech therapist is sought by his wife.

The screenplay is impeccable as are the art direction and costumes.  The casting is spot on as well, with excellent turns by Colin Firth (a shoo-in for Best Actor Oscar), Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush, both nominated in the Best Supporting acting races.

The King’s Speech is a very good movie whose only imperfection would be its at times too slow pace.  I’d like to add that a slow pace doesn’t usually bother me, as it’s often lacking in today’s high-octane motion pictures, but I did experience some form of drag here.

Overall, The King’s Speech is a movie that will please many and bore many others, but it’s a good candidate for Best Picture, which it seems sure to win after having taken top honors at the DGA, PGA, and SAG Awards.

Grade: 8