Brilliant and surprisingly entertaining

Rating: 10/10 (9 February 2011)

For once, you can believe the critical buzz and put your money down at a real theatre. Is "The King's Speech" a masterful, well-acted period piece about King George VI and the friendship he builds with his speech pathologist? Sure. And for many, that's going to get in the way.
Period films about British royalty don't appeal to everyone, and that's a crying shame in this case. David Seidler's script is surprisingly witty and insightful; the warmth and good humour of this movie are infectious.
Colin Firth's performance is fantastic, and not just because of the speech impediment he adopts in his portrayal of Prince Albert. The warmth, dignity, and vulnerability are all evident and believable.
The Brits in particular seem to have a knack for producing quiet, smart little movies that wind up staying with you for years. This is definitely one of them.