King Gets By With A Little Help From His Friends

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2011)

Not sure if I have included spoilers but as this is my first review I decided to err on the side of caution.
The Kings Speech is a film about the child of a dysfunctional family struggling to cope with the demands of adult life.
The film centres around George VI (Colin Firth) relationship with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist procured for him by his wife, the Queen Mother portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. Much humour and entertainment come from the therapist's refusal to be bound by royal etiquette and from the developing rapport between himself and the heir to the throne.
The film begins with a torturous speech by Prince Albert (later George VI) at Wembley, which elicits our sympathy from the outset.
As a republican I had serious reservations about this film but I actually found myself moved (although not to tears which is not unusual for me) by it's portrayal of a family trapped by duty and tradition. Prince Albert (George VI) and his brother Edward (he of Mrs Simpson) are portrayed as victims of their emotionally cold and physically distant parents who are themselves the product of the narrow royal world. Edward is portrayed as something of a coward and a philistine compared to Bertie and this raises a question which I find quite interesting. Is it more courageous to fulfil others expectations of you no matter how restrictive to your personal freedoms or to break out of convention and follow your heart in spite of public opinion and mud-slinging?
Firth gives a great performance as the grumpy, repressed and tongue-tied yet determined and courageous "Bertie". Whilst there was nothing particularly wrong with Helena Bonham Carter's performance and she portrayed the loyal, loving wife charmingly, I had trouble believing in her as an aristocratic woman, perhaps a legacy of her memorable roles in Fight Club and Sweeney Todd. For me, Geoffrey Rush stole the show as the unorthodox, humane and humorous Logue. Timothy Spall's cameo as Churchill was certainly memorable.
The Kings Speech is essentially a light-hearted feel good movie with a little added depth which wants to tell us that with determination, courage and good friends we can overcome the most difficult problems. Nothing wrong with that.
In conclusion, a good, thought-provoking movie but perhaps not as great as the hype leads us to expect. Worth a watch even for died in the wool republicans.