Movie Review: 'The King's Speech'

It’s hard work to convincingly fake a stutter. Seriously, give it a try. No easy task. This alone makes Colin Firth’s performance something special. Add in all the depth and emotion he brings to his character, and you got yourself a performance made of gold. Firth plays Prince Albert (the man who would later become King George VI), who’s plagued with a debilitating nervous stammer. Knowing that he may soon take the throne, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires unorthodox speech therapist Lionel (Geoffrey Rush) to help him. We already know this is going to be one of those stories: the story of how these two people forever make an impact on each others lives and become unlikely friends in the process. Formula inspirational Oscar stuff. But if a film adeptly applies this formula, and manages to do it well, this formula will almost always work without fail. And in the case of THE KING’S SPEECH, it gets the royal treatment it deserves.

Is it the best picture of the year? No. Best ensemble cast? Quite possibly. Helena Bonham Carter, who most have come to identify with the strange roles she’s played in FIGHT CLUB, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, SWEENEY TODD, and the HARRY POTTER series, shines as the King’s loving and supportive wife. What surprised me most with her ability to portray someone sensitive, delicate, determined and, well… normal. And of course she does so while maintaining that ghost white pallor her face always seems to have. But like I said before, this is Firth’s movie, through and through. He engages the audience more so than any other actor this year. He’s very easy to sympathize with, and combined with Lionel’s quirky persona (a fantastic performance from Rush), watching them interact with each other is intriguing, especially in the scenes where Lionel pushes and provokes Albert (hearing Colin Firth curse incessantly–which you will luckily get to experience–is like hilarious music to my ears).

Have you ever had something you wanted to achieve so badly, but the more you failed the more you gave up? Most of the time insisting that it’s impossible is easier than enduring more failed attempts. Albert (or “Bertie” as Lionel likes to call him) has gotten used to using this defense mechanism. In one of the first scenes, it shows him attempting to make a public speech. Watching him stammer like that, the pain and embarrassment so evidently etched into his face, made my heart hurt. The frustration he suffers through afterwards was palpable. During his first grudging visit to Lionel, Lionel does something rather interesting: he has Albert put on headphones with loud music playing (preventing him from being able to hear his own voice) and has him read something aloud. Lionel, who had been recording Albert’s reading, gives him the record for him to listen to on his own convenience. In perhaps my favorite scene, Albert listens to the recording…and hears his voice, the voice he is so used to loathing and hearing crack in the middle of his choppy sentences, speaking clearly. And so Albert and Lionel’s journey begins.

When the inevitable speech came at the end of the movie, I was holding my breath. I knew he was going to prevail. But nevertheless, I wanted it so badly, and Lionel, Albert and Elizabeth wanted it so badly, that we were like one joint unit. The end shot is exactly like you would expect–when Albert walks outside after his speech, surrounded by people congratulating him, he makes eye contact with Lionel and they smile at each other in solidarity, Karate-Kid-style. And who am I kidding, I was right there with them, a proud smile plastered on my face.

Rating: A-