The story of how King George V1 overcame his stammer with the help of a charlatan speech therapist.

Rating: 2/10 (25 October 2010)

Why is this a film and not a play? There are only two locations after all - Buckingham Palace and the therapist's studio. While there is some good acting, all the usual suspects take a turn, the characters are dangerously close to caricature. The most nuanced performance comes from Colin Firth though with the clumsy direction even he seems too big. Who will forget Timothy Spall's Churchill!! The direction is obvious and even clunky. The director has no visual imagination whatsoever. With it's clichéd nostalgia it feels like a cynical attempt to attract the attention of the tourists (American and Australian) and a desperate bid for an Oscar. Disappointing cinema.