The King’s Speech Review

The King's Speech

A+

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

    Have you ever been thrown into a situation you were not prepared for? This is the case in the story of King George VI the king with the horrible lisp, and for the film the Kings speech itself which has become the Oscar's darling only to be put down afterwards being called an inferior film to the Social Network. What do I think? I think it deserves every one of its Oscars and is my favorite English language film of the year.

 

    The King's Speech tells the story of King George VI's hasty rise to the throne during the time of war. One problem though. The King (Colin Firth) happens to have a bad lisp. After extreme frustration with many speech therapists his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) goes out and finds a therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) who has very unusual methods. After much convincing King George (or "Bertie") seeks help from Lionel and they start to work on the King's flawed Speech.

 

    This is old fashion film making at its finest. The plot is bright and uplifting with only a few dark points interesting. Director Tom Hooper and writer David Seidler strike the perfect balance of light hearted humor and interesting points of drama. One of my favorite examples of this is one of the greatest and most creative uses of swearing in all of film witch left me laughing out loud well continuing to move the film forward.

 

    One of the biggest strengths of this film is the acting. Colin Firth is simply fantastic as King George VI. He keeps a believable stammer throughout the entire film and never ever loses the role at any point. Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as the common speech doctor trying to help but at the same time trying to teach the King about the Common man in Britain.

 

    The King's Speech is fantastic from begging to finish. Its attention to detail in the writing, direction, and cinematography is exquisite. Mix in the fantastic performances by both the lead and supporting cast and you have yourself a winner. Some say the Social Network was deserving of best picture at the Oscars, I beg to differ. The King's Speech to me is the pinnacle of English language films in 2010.