20th century English period drama. King George VI takes the throne with an impeding stammer.

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2011)

One of the many holiday movies I enjoyed seeing was The King's Speech. Colin Firth plays England's King George VI, troubled by a stammer that impeded his speech since childhood. Geoffrey Rush plays an equally compelling character as Lionel, his speech therapist. It was a perfect movie to see with my dad as it deftly interlaced a feel-good story with a lot of pertinent English history.
Firth's impressive acquired speech impediment, his stammer, is believably portrayed throughout the film, and he gives the audience many a memorable outburst in Lionel's (his speech therapist) office. As an American teenager studying British history, I did not learn much about King George VI's stammer, but the movie presents an interesting historical perspective on not only the possible ramifications of England's response to Hitler at the outset of World War II, but the wider-ranging effects an ineffectual king could have had on the nation.
Firth and Rush's performances definitely highlight the movie that emphasizes lesser-known historical aspects of the royal family. As nuanced as Firth's performance is of the struggling king, Rush matches that prowess as a hilarious and eccentric Australian who refuses to conform to the rules of everyone else.