The King's Speech (2010)

Written by David Seidler
Directed by Tom Hooper

The story of "Bertie", the man who was made King of England upon his brother's abdication, which happened not long after their father, King George V (Michael Gambon), died. Deemed "unfit" to be king at an early age, Bertie has spent his lifetime in the shadow of his brother, the new King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce).

Thrust into the public eye an unwilling king, Bertie has to overcome his stuttering, a speech impediment he's had since he was a boy. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) finds Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) a specialty speech therapist. When he refuses to treat Bertie any differently than any other patient, he is at first offended, but slowly learns Logue's methods work.

This is all in preperation for a country on the brink of war with little faith in their King. While all the technical aspects (cinematography, sound, costumes, and sets) are all top-notch, the story itself is a mediocre rehash of the themes of Forrest Gump. Personal mental shortcomings can be overcome to do important things. What does this say about the society of today, though? It's uplifting just to fit the genre, there is no real heart or passion behind any of it, this is the dramatic equivalent to a popcorn action flick.

Colin Firth stutters and gets blustery, and he eventually learns to like Lionel and that the source of many of his problems were his strange childhood and the fact that he had no friends because of who he is. Indeed. This theme has been mined in far greater detail, with much more passion and interesting filmmaking than on display here.

Despite being decent and well made, it brings nothing new or exciting to the table, an easily forgettable film.

8.6/10