Masterful Performances

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2011)

King's Speech, The (2010)
**** (out of 4)
Colin Firth turns in a marvelous performance as King George VI who finds himself working with a speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) in order to cure a stammer problem. The two men battle over the appropriate cure but things take a turn when England is about to enter WWII and the people are needing a rousing speech to comfort them and lead them forward. THE KING'S SPEECH isn't a flawless film as I had a few minor issues with it including some of the early stuff building up to the eventual speech. I'd say the film could have ran a few minutes shorter but the performances here are so wonderful that you can overlook the minor issues. I don't think there's any question that both Firth and Rush deliver two of the best performances in recent years because they are so good that you never once feel as if you're watching actors but instead you feel as if you're actually in the room with the real people that they are playing. The performances are so flawless that they have no problem bringing the wonderful and witty dialogue to life. The film, for the most part, is a comedy because it's a pretty strange situation when a man who makes his name by talking isn't able to get more than a word out. The drama comes in as the famous speech is coming upon him and King George must deliver the news that they are entering WWII. Being a fact-based film I'm sure most people are going to know what happens but the amount of drama in this sequence is thrilling and will have your eyes glued to the screen. Firth comes across as a decent but weak man while Rush must come across as a decent but strong man. The two are total opposites but through their differences they find that magic to make the story work so well. Both men are bound to get Oscar-nominations and I don't think anyone would boo if they actually won. Firth is masterful with all the speech stuff. I've seen countless movies where actors have to stutter but Firth is flawless and really delivers what the role needs. The speech problem really seems so natural that you never feel as if you're watching a performance. When the final speech does come up the amount of energy, passion and fire in Firth's eyes alone are worth the price of admission. Rush also turns in one of his most memorable performances in a very long time. What really impressed me about Rush was his comic timing, which was like a beautiful chorus that the actor had to dance around and be right on cue at every moment. The two men do a marvelous job together and make the film what it is. Helena Bonham Carter is also wonderful as the King's wife and Guy Pearce is also memorable as the brother. THE KING'S SPEECH is more about the strange friendship than any sort of politics, which is a good thing because the screenplay delivers enough fire to keep people entertained even if they don't know this part of history. The performances by the leads are what makes THE KING'S SPEECH so special and reason alone to watch.