In Review: The King's Speech

It's been a long time since I've seen a movie that was such an ensemble piece. "The King's Speech" is an extraordinary film! For once you should believe the hype. The movie is that good. While I still think "Inception" was the best film of 2010, it seems that it will have no shot at best picture. The front-runners seem to be "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network." If "Inception" can't be recognized my second choice would be "The King's Speech" hands-down.

The story is about how King George VI (Colin Firth) becomes King of England after the death of King George V (Michael Gambon) and the abdication of his brother from the throne and how he has to overcome his stammer to be a leader in a time of war.

George's wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) tries many speech therapists before finally getting in touch with the unorthodox Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue has George do everything from having him record himself reading while having on headphones playing music, to abdominal exercises, as well as singing his words out. It's really fascinating how we find out the psychological reasons behind George VI's impediment. I would say more but it would give away an interesting plot twist.

The movie benefits from one of the best performances by a cast in many a year. The movie is not merely a showcase for Colin Firth but a showcase for extraordinary performances at every turn. There are no weak acting links here. Colin Firth has been doing quality work for years now and was nominated just last year for "A Single Man." He ultimately lost to Jeff Bridges. This year they are both nominated again, but I have a feeling the outcome will be different. This is Colin Firth's best performance of his career. A more complete performance by an actor I have not seen in some time. Firth manages to convey the stutter in just the right way. He doesn't exaggerate to the point of making it a joke. He does it just spot-on so it's believable. I have no idea how he went into work every day and pulled it off. Kudos! The other thing that makes his work in this movie stand out is how great he is at conveying vulnerability. I sat in the theater hanging on every word he said and when he struggled my heart really broke for him. This movie definitely is a tear-jerker in places. Firth does a lot with his face. Pay special attention to what he does with his eyes and also the movement of his mouth when he struggles to speak. It is truly remarkable what this actor does with body language in this film.

Equal credit goes to the rest of the cast. Geoffrey Rush as Logue brings an eccentric believability to the character. In a way he brings the scene-chewing ability he did to the Pirates movies, but in a much more subtle way. He and Firth really do make you believe their friendship is genuine. Rush likely will not win an Oscar because Christian Bale sames to be the front-runner at this point. That's a shame, because Rush carries this movie as much as Firth. But Rush already has an Oscar for "Shine" so I think he'll live. And Helena Bonham Carter is a very convincing Queen Elizabeth conveying sympathy for her husband and also giving him tough love when he needs it.

"The King's Speech" has no false notes. It's engaging from beginning to end. It manages to pull this off with no car chases, raunchy sex scenes, or any of the cheap tricks employed but much of today's popular movie fare. This film is all the better for it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cheer. This is one of the best movies I've seen not just this year but in many years. It deserve all the praise it is getting and hopefully it will make off with a king's ransom come Oscar night.