Good, solid film, lacking that magical touch

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2011)

First off, I love the double meaning in the title.
Secondly, I was shocked when I looked at my ticket stub going in to watch the film and noticed it was Rated R. I found out this is solely based on language (the F-bomb is dropped quite a few times).
Colin Firth does an admirable job as Bertie, getting the speech, the frustrations, and the standoff nature of royalty down pat. Helena Bonham Carter I didn't like as much. She started off strong, but as the film went on, there were faces she made and things about her body language that just didn't seem to fit her character.
I would recommend this film. It is especially endearing to anyone that has had some trait, some perceived flaw, that makes them self-conscious in public (and even in private). Not only was I surprised by the film's rating, but I was surprised by it's humor - and a delightful surprise it was! It helped add heart to this story.
It was almost a packed house where I viewed this film and there were a few people who clapped at the end. I wasn't one of them. I liked this film, but for some reason that I am having a hard time putting my finger on, this film didn't connect with me in that magical way it did with the clappers. I was happy at the end, no doubt - a quiet, inner kind of happy - but the end seemed a bit of a letdown to me. Instead of cutting back and forth, I think I would have preferred to have simply seen things more from the perspective of the British subjects.