Easy to watch, but devoid of social commentary

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2012)

Supposedly one of the best films of 2011, 'The King's Speech' is a sad reflection of our times if it is indeed unbettered in a year. It's not an awful film by any means: the story of a man (who happens to be the King) slowly learning to overcome his personal fears. But the basic story is utterly generic, and while there's some entertainment value from observing such a tale in an unlikely context (in this case, a royal one), the film contains only the faintest of social commentary; if you expect a serious examination of the abdication crisis, Edward VI's alleged Nazi sympathies, observations how a 20th century country can claim to be a democracy while led by an unelected king, or even a revisionist portrait of Wallis Simpson, you'll be disappointed; instead, this is very gentle drama about a monarchy which may be a little up itself but is unquestionably a good thing. As for historical precision, the notion that the King would come out of a radio broadcast to be greeted by a delegation of the prime minister, the Minister of the Admiralty (Churchill), and the Archbishop of Canterbury, is not so much inaccurate (forgiveable in a drama) but ludicrous and obvious at the same time. For some reason, this film struck a chord with many in the population in 2011; watch it (at the end of the year) for an insight into royal wedding fever, but don't expect any insight into the London riots.