The King's Speech: Not just a film for history buffs

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2011)

Each year there comes a handful of British films that are so stuffy and so annoyingly high brow, that it would seem one would have to have obtained their PhD in English Lit. (emphasis on the works of Monty Python) to understand anything happening on screen; "The King's Speech" is not one of those films. Directed in epic format by Tom Hooper (The Damned United), Colin Firth (A Single Man) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl) star in the true story of King George VI, who turned to a radical speech therapist to overcome his stutter. It may not sound like the most intriguing premise in the world, but Hooper and this sublime cast make it one of the most engaging and powerful films of the year.
Firth is absolutely memorizing as King George VI, having total command of his every mannerism as well as that trademark stutter. Firth should easily win a Golden Globe, as well as an Oscar, as well as the "Movies With Markus Award" (hopefully a real thing one day) for best leading actor in a dramatic role. His performance in "The King's Speech" is undoubtedly the best acting performance of the year (mark my words)! And no, I didn't forget about Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), who gives a truly royal performance as Queen Elizabeth.
Side note: Even though this may not be the best film of the year, this will undoubtedly win the best picture for the Golden Globes (Don't ask. It's politics). So if you are the betting type MPAA, what is going on with your rating system?!: Why does this film hold an R rating? Because of TWO scenes depicting intense language (all pertaining to King George VI's speech therapy mind you). That is a shame, for when it's all said and done, "The Kings Speech" is an historic/educational film that has been cut off from a wider audience because of a few F bombs. I guess hearing the F word is more detrimental to anyone under 17, than watching a person blow another persons brains out. What does that say about American society? Anyways Final Thought: This film can only be described as a magnificent endeavor of British film-making. With much of the same dramatic luster of British films such as "The Queen" and "Atonement", "The Kings Speech" will go down as a film classic and (need I say it) a must see this awards season. This film is nothing short of one of the best films of the year! Please visit my page on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/x-52464-San-Jose-Indie-Movie-Examiner and leave any comments you have about this or any review. The more hits I get the better. Thank you.