Friendships often involve people from similar walks of life. It’s what bonds us to those in our social circles, the chance to swap stories about PTA conferences, mortgage bills and the latest vote on “American Idol.”
The friendship between the man who would be king and his unorthodox therapist in “The King’s Speech” is another beast entirely.
“The King’s Speech” isn’t a great film despite critical huzzahs to the contrary. Its story arc is too predictable, its view of the 1930s-era monarchy too pleased with itself.
The performances make this “Speech” soar beyond its stately trappings. Colin Firth, playing the flustered future king, should clear some space on his mantle for a new, gleaming knick knack. He may have lost out on a Best Actor Oscar last year to Jeff Bridges, but he won’t be denied this time around.
Firth stars as Albert Frederick Arthur George, the second son of King George V (Michael Gambon). Dubbed Bertie by his closest friends, he suffers from a stutter that makes speaking a chore. He’s tried every possible remedy without improvement, so when his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), hears of an unorthodox speech therapist she arranges an appointment.
Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is a peculiar one, all right. He insists clients follow his directions to the letter and do so within the confines of his depressing office. When he meets Bertie he tells him in no uncertain terms those rules apply to him, royalty be darned.
The stakes of Bertie’s speech lessons spike when Bertie’s brother (Guy Pearce) is forced to relinquish the throne due to a romantic scandal. Now, as England edges toward war with Germany, the people need a strong leader to rally around. How can Bertie inspire his country men if he can’t put two words together without stammering?
What’s most irresistible about “The King’s Speech” is how it builds the main friendship scene by scene, and often sentence by sentence. Bertie is a relatively gentle man, but he’s used to special treatment and isn’t easily cajoled into doing things he doesn’t to do. Lionel is just as stubborn, so sure of his methods he can’t imagine a soul rejecting them.
They need each other all the same, and watching them spar over cultural differences while letting their defenses down is invigorating.
Firth gives a studied performance without flaws, one in which the physical tics never overshadow the man or his position in British society. Rush could have easily overplayed his hand, falling back on theatrical flourishes to complement Firth’s stiff demeanor. Instead, Rush grounds Lionel and let’s us into his thought processes.
They’re so good together you’ll wish a new Oscar category could accommodate them – Best Acting by a Duo.
“The King’s Speech” builds toward its rah-rah conclusion, and it’s a parade of lump in your throat moments Firth carries with dignity. The facts behind the narrative have recently come into question, but there’s no denying “The King’s Speech” delivers two of the best performances of 2010.
(Photo: Colin Firth and Helene Bonham Carter star in “The King’s Speech,” an uplifting tale of a man grappling with a profound stutter during chaotic times. The Weinstein Company)
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Maybe the finest film I have ever seen. Wonderful dialog, costuming and sets. No chase scenes, explosions nor CGI. Just actors, acting…and doing it excedingly well.
I was entranced and enthralled for 118 minutes.
Firth and Rush’s scenes make this film really work, and when their together, you can feel the heart that lies within this film. Good review!
There’s nothing wrong with predictable story arcs, if they are done this well. Not every movie needs to have a “Sixth Sense” style twist, or a post-modern Mobius strip narrative structure. In an age when most movies strive to confuse and confound, a traditional story told well can be more satisfying, and refreshing, than a hundred Pulp Fictions or Mementos.
Loved this movie. When he was overwhelmed in his moment of doubt I almost started sobbing for him
The OTHER duo in the movie provides to me the most important context and meaning of this movie. I mean the two brothers: stammering, awkward “Bertie” and his popular, glib brother “David,” wonderfully portrayed by Guy Pearce.
Superficially, David is the perfect public royal, but he utterly fails through lack of character. It is Bertie who has the guts, the willingness to sacrifice, and the sense of duty that make a leader. THAT is what Logue sees beneath all surfaces, that Bertie has inside him the true voice of a king.
Great movie.
This was my favorite movie of 2011.
The performance given by Firth made my jaw hurt – that’s how good he played the part. If he doesn’t get the Oscar it will be a travesty.
I’d also like this to win Best Picture, but I think the Academy may go with the more culturally relevant Social Network. However, I would say the theme in The King’s Speech is eternal. Every person can relate to Bertie – every person has dealt with something embarrassing in their life that they’ve had to overcome. Maybe not something quite so obvious, but we’ve all fought insecurity.
Despite being slow, I was riveted during this entire movie and walked away feeling rather good (which was a bonus).
Favorite movie of 2010! Not 2011.
I liked this movie probably more than you did, Christian. Probably the most satisfied I’ve exited a theater since “The Dark Knight.”
Rush and Firth both deserve Oscars here. I am still amazed that Helena Bonham Carter seems to get nominated every time she appears in a supporting role on film (minus the Harry Potter franchise). She’s OK here, but has so few scenes, her nomination strikes me as rote — the way Meryl Streep is continually nominated. IF HBC wins, she’ll probably do so with the shortest amount of screen time since Judy Dench in “Shakespeare in Love.”