A good character study and phenomenal performance by Firth, but a dull, predictable story arc lacking energy

Rating: 6/10 (8 February 2019)

The King's Speech, while fascinating as a true story and a pretty effective character study, falls short as an engaging narrative. Firth is the bright spot that creates all the success the movie attains. The emotion you see on his face as he struggles with his stammer, his anger in private, and his developing confidence was great to watch, and making the stammer believable is a very difficult task he pulls off with flying colors. Unfortunately, the movie's other elements aren't so rosy. The character study works early on in showing what caused his stammer and various factors that exacerbate it. It's an interesting story of overcoming fear, but in the second half of the movie I felt the character focus lessen. I would've liked to see more of what really makes him more confident, going deeper than just a couple of the exercises like dancing, singing, or cursing, because his character journey is much deeper than that. The broader narrative was extremely obvious and predictable, which sucked any tension out of the film. With the exception of a few interactions in sessions, most of the movie was a fairly dull slog because it was apparent what George's struggles are and the arc he'll take to overcome them. The climax felt particularly strange, partially because it felt like a foregone conclusion, but mostly because the content of his speech seemed like a side note while we were really just watching to see how he manages his stammer. I could make minor quibbles in how narrow his circle of friends, advisors, and colleagues was for such an important figure (and as a result are exposed to just three characters), but it didn't take me out of the story. It's a fine movie saved by Firth, but the plot leaves a lot of intrigue and enjoyment on the table.