Speech: A Joyful Melody of Anger and Rejoice

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2010)

"The King's Speech" is a film that is about more than just a speech in a moment in time, it is about the journey of Prince Albert (Colin Firth) from being the Duke of York with a speech impediment to becoming King George VI and the voice of England in World War II. Tom Hooper directs this true tale concerning a special relationship that forms between King George VI also known as Bertie and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) that has received seven Golden Globe nominations and eleven Critic's Choice nominations. The film begins shortly before the death of King George V (Michael Gambon) and after a failed speech by Bertie due to his stammering speech impediment. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carer) has been researching the best speech therapists in order to help her husband, however, time and time again they failed to procure any results. She finally stumbles across a man named Lionel Logue known for his unique therapeutic practices., but at first Bertie is very skeptical and believes that this is going to be just another failure. However, after a minor bet over a shilling and some surprising results, he finds himself back in Lionel's office. Together Bertie and Lionel build a strong bond while preparing for his ultimate task. Bertie is in line to take his dead father's place as king after his brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) steps down from his royal role in order to marry American Wallis Simpson. England is in need of a leader and with t the help of his best friend Lionel Logue, King George VI rises to the occasion fulfilling the extraordinary role of unifying a country on the brink of war with Hitler's Germany.
The acting of both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is spectacular and the chemistry between the two is even better. They are able to transform a very straightforward and predictable story into an original look at an underdog story. Colin Firth's performance is so very real and believable that he makes you feel like you are in one of those dreams where you are trying speak and call out for help, but are not able to. Geoffrey Rush adds a lot of comedy to the movie and makes the viewing process very enjoyable. The journey that these two men take together in the film is mastered perfectly as the two curse at each other and make speech more than just well articulated words stung together. Combined with beautiful cinematography speech becomes a joyful melody of anger and rejoice as it flows from the mouth of King George VII.
Despite the cinematography the film has a very boring exposition making it hard for the audience to connect to the story. The film lacks the flare that takes off about fifty minutes or an hour into the film. One thing that was very disappointing about the film was Helena Bonham Carter's performance. Does she deserve the Best Supporting Actress nominations that she has received? Probably. However, her performance does not match up to her fellow stars. She does not have any wow moments and she does not mesmerize you. Instead she acts at as a consistent above average actress throughout the film.
"The King's Speech" is a film very similar to the story that it tells. Once you count the film out it begins to grow on you and is pretty damn good in the end, which is worth seeing now. Also, Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are both very strong contenders in this year's award season and may surprise us in the end as they go head to head with James Franco and Christian Bale for the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor Oscars.