The King's Speech Offers More Than Dull Discourse
One film that defies all that is The King’s Speech, a film that deceptively appears to be a stuffy period piece but is actually a charming crowd-pleaser. And it just so happens to currently be listed alongside The Social Network as an Oscar favorite.
The King’s Speech stars Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who seeks treatment for her husband’s stutter. Her husband is Albert ‘Bertie’ Frederick Arthur George, the Duke of York (Colin Firth), son of King George V. He is required on occasion to speak publicly. Lady Elizabeth soon finds Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist with unique methods and a high success rate.
King George V eventually dies and there’s a bit of drama involving the oldest son, Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), struggling with the choice between inheriting the throne and marrying the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, a suspected Nazi sympathizer. Meanwhile, a bromance blooms between Bertie and Lionel, wherein one helps the other find his voice, personal details are confided, and even a brief blow-up occurs between them. The titular speech, up to which the film is building, is the first wartime speech Bertie, at that point the newly anointed King George VI (spoilers for real life), must give to the nation after England declared war on Germany for invading Poland.
The King’s Speech seems mostly interested in suggesting – via a story about personal triumph – that behind the iron gates and closed doors of Buckingham Palace is a family no different than the common man, royalty aside. Siblings tease each other, daddy issues abound, children suffer from emotional abuse and the loneliness of a life devoid of friendships, and a wife will search for effective treatment of her caring husband’s ailment. It takes the mundane and finds the humanity within it, making for a film where the act of a man speaking into a microphone is the source of great suspense. Director Tom Hooper (The Damned United) accomplishes all of this by never once resorting to cheap sentiment or betraying the truth of the characters or their situations in life. The Royal Couple and the Logues have great regard for each other – but they’ll never share a meal together, because it wouldn’t be proper.
One is hard-pressed to find a performance in The King’s Speech that is less than great; Bonham Carter, Firth, and Rush are particularly noteworthy. They bring to their characters and relationships an authenticity that never feels forced, allowing you to be convinced by most of what they’re selling without the irritation of awards-bait posturing.
Interestingly enough, the MPAA, the notoriously private ratings board that purports to be made up of morally-sound parents, slapped an R rating onto The King’s Speech. There are no sex scenes (suggested or explicit) or any violence; it is a rather tame movie. What it does have is a single scene in which the Duke utters a string of four-letter words for the first time in his life. It’s a humorous scene that is light in tone and the language is far from ‘strong’. It’s understandable that the film and critic communities balked at this decision since it unfairly gives audiences a certain perception of the content in The King’s Speech. Stories this inspiring and enjoyable should be seen by families – just as long as your kids are old enough for a period piece to hold their attention. It may be the best family film of the winter season.
For anybody looking for an enjoyable film with great chemistry and a mix of inspirational drama and witty humor, none of which panders or insults your intelligence, they could do far worse than The King’s Speech. It is one of the season’s smartest feel-good movies.
8/10
Should you see it? If you’re interested in seeing what the fuss is about before the Academy Awards airs, you’d best buy tickets, otherwise wait.
The King’s Speech is now in theaters.