"The King's Speech" review by Ben Kenber

Many will probably look at “The King’s Speech” and think it’s one of those snobby British art movies, but that of course will say more about its so-called critics than anything else. The story of a man who “bloody well stammers” and works to overcome this affliction that keeps him from completing sentences (let alone a whole speech) sounds more like one of those formula movies where we watch a human being triumph over personal obstacles with the help of a mentor. Then again, not many of those movies are about King George VI, and with this being (sigh) “based on a true story” adds more dramatic heft to this particular story.

Formulaic or not, “The King’s Speech” is a magnificent film that takes what seems like an easy to overcome problem (or so others might think) and turns it into compelling cinema. This is in large part thanks to a wonderful cast that includes Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. There’s nary a single weak performance to be found here, and this may very well be the best acted film of 2010.

Seriously, I bow down to Mr. Firth after watching him here. That he gives a brilliant performance is no surprise as he has had an amazing career to date, but this role in particular seems all the more difficult for anyone to pull off. Mastering the technical part and making the stammering seem utterly believable must have been a job unto itself. How do you get an audience to suspend disbelief and get them to believe you are seriously afflicted with such a seriously irritating impediment when everyone knows you don’t have that problem in real life?

Many actors would probably start off trying to master the stammer to where they are not thinking about it. But with Colin, he digs deep into the role to get at who King George VI is as a person and what has affected him emotionally. All that is prologue to the problem we see him having when he is forced to speak before crowds who expect more from him than he can give. That he gets at the heart of the character and creates such a vivid portrait of a leader we don’t know much about is what makes his performance so damn good. As for the technical aspects of the role, I’m guessing Colin saw that as secondary, but it should go without saying that he perfects the stammer.

Then there’s Geoffrey Rush who also served as one of the film’s producers. As Lionel Logue, the King’s speech therapist, his character serves as the Mr. Myagi of “The King’s Speech.” Lionel gets the King to do a variety of exercises that are physical as well as vocal, but his biggest challenge is in getting George to exorcise the personal problems that affect him and his speech more than anything else. All the tongue twisters and warm ups won’t do a thing until he confronts the emotional scars that he has endured up to this point in life.

Ever since his Oscar winning turn in “Shine,” Geoffrey Rush has been one of the most entertaining actors in movies. I don’t know if it’s his deep voice or his incredibly dry wit, but he’s never boring in any film he’s in. Whether it’s as the Queen’s servant in “Elizabeth” or Jack Sparrow’s foe in the “Pirates Of The Caribbean” movies, Rush has maintained such a fascinating presence in one performance after another. Sometimes all it takes is a look or move from him to get a big response from the audience, and it was a big audience when I saw it at the nearby theater. Seeing him strike a pose in a chair Lionel has no business sitting in is enough to get a laugh.

Now how many great performances has Helena Bonham Carter given? It doesn’t even seem like it’s been all that long since she did “A Room With A View,” and that was made back in 1985! She still glides effortlessly from role to role, and it truly is impossible to pigeonhole her. Whether its “Fight Club” or Tim Burton’s disappointing remake of “Alice In Wonderland,” she has proven capable of playing any role given to her with relative ease. Not many actors can do that it seems these days.

As the King’s wife, Queen Elizabeth, Helena is sublime throughout. She makes Elizabeth both empathetic to her husband’s problems and very strong in the role that is suddenly thrust upon her. Helena s another is powerful in that her work is actually quite subtle, and you can never really catch her acting. Seeing her interact with “commoners” is a delight as she comes off as professional but very polite and never snobby. I keep talking about actors who inhabit roles more than play them and Helena is another name to add to that ever growing list.

There are also a number of other great performances to take note of as well in “The King’s Speech.” I was surprised to see Guy Pearce on board as George’s brother, King Edward VIII, whose passion for another overcomes his royal responsibilities. Derek Jacobi also shows up as Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose advisements to the King perhaps go a bit further than they need to. I almost didn’t recognize Michael Gambon as King George V, his booming voice covered up by a face that is very un-Dumbledore like. Claire Bloom also is wonderful as Queen Mary, and she’s also another one of those actors who you never catch acting. And then you have Timothy Spall who plays the famous British Prime Minister Winston Churchill almost as well as I did back in the 7^th grade (I played him back in junior high and… well, anyway).

Seriously though, the story does have that setup of that person who asks for help from a “wise old man” and then keeps coming and quitting on him and then comes back again for more lessons. But director Tom Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler keep it from ever becoming a routine film, and their attention to historical accuracy throughout is very commendable. Adding to this all is the chemistry of the actors who interact with each other so well. I also have to say that the process of a man giving a speech to an entire nation has never seemed so exciting before. “The King’s Speech” may not be an action thriller per say, but the last half had me on the edge of my seat.

Director Tom Hooper brilliantly sets up the tension between King George VI and his audience right from the start. As we watch George at a local race, stumbling over a speech he is forced to give, Hooper really puts us in the mindset of someone with a serious problem of speaking in front of others. We are made to feel the way Colin Firth’s character does, and we immediately sympathize with what he is going through. That scene hangs over our heads and the main characters all the way to the end where I guess you could say George has his “Rocky” moment.

“The King’s Speech” is more than deserving of the accolades that are currently being bestowed upon it, and it is clear that there are many more to come. It is easily one of the best and most well made movies of 2010.

**** out of ****