Disappointing - could have been so much more!

Rating: 6/10 (29 December 2012)

In spite of the many rave reviews, I must admit that I personally found the movie disappointing. Unlike most viewers, I was well acquainted with the story of this royal couple before viewing the movie. Bottom line - I expected more. Their story is so rich with material. The king's speech problems were just one of the many issues the royal couple faced, particularly during the wartime. Yet it was the only one singled out here as a theme for the movie and I felt that it was simply not enough to carry a whole movie for 2 hours. Otherwise, everything else was fine - the settings, costumes, acting, choice of actors etc. - it all was done well as far as it went, but I felt it simply didn't go far enough. The wartime sacrifices of the royal couple were not sufficiently highlighted, their bravery, their struggles. All were more of a background to the central issue of the king's speech problem. I would have preferred a rich tapestry where the speech problem had equal footing with the many other issues confronting the royal couple. For those not familiar with the royal couple's story, dealing with the speech impediment might be enough. For me, it wasn't. I wanted more.