Aristocracy is boring

Rating: 5/10 (24 February 2011)

As anybody can imagine, a movie about a man with a stuttering problem and his therapist can hardly be exciting or hard-core. "The king's speech" is a small movie. A comedy about mid-30's England, social inequality and the suffering of the upper class.
It focuses very tightly, both metaphorically and visually, around Albert, future king George VI and Lionel Logue, his speech therapist from Australia. Very predictably, the two have a difficult meet-cute, soon to become involved in therapeutic matters, and fast friends by the end of the movie.
Most of their scenes are shot in interiors and revolve around Albert's gloomy childhood and his present shortcomings – he has a very nasty temper. Logue acts more as a psychiatrist than a speech therapist, encouraging Albert to let go of the past and build strength for the present and the future.
Even trying very hard, it is difficult to sympathize with the future king, whose biggest problems were a cold mother, a nasty nanny and a dashing brother, making fun of him. Also, English snobbery it is not particular fun to watch, except maybe if you are British upper-class.
The movie has a very slow pace, a great photography (a lot of frames could be used as stand-alone photos) and interesting use of light. Colin Firth is indeed very good, playing a part that must be a once in a lifetime opportunity for an actor. If he is going to win an Oscar, he certainly deserves it, but I liked him more in a "Single man". Geoffrey Rush is equally good and Guy Pierce excellent, as bad boy David. Helena Bonham Carter is scary, as usual. On the whole, a slightly boring, pointless movie, with great performances.