The King's Speech
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Rated: R
Running time: 124 minutes
Well, this was certainly nice. For the past few weeks, our theatre has been screening the top award picks for last year's films and I must say it's been a good batch. The heaviest Oscar contender, of course, is The King's Speech. It certainly has all the earmarks of a Best Picture winner. For starters, the academy is obviously nutty over most any period piece, not to mention one involving the royal family.
The film opens with the dawn of radio and the first time the Duke of York (played by Colin Firth) is to address the masses. He looks very nervous and it quickly becomes apparent why, as now the entire kingdom knows of his dramatic stammering impediment.
His wife, played by Helena Bonham Carter (so nice to see her outside a Tim Burton film), takes it upon herself to visit a recommended yet experimental Australian voice coach (Geoffrey Rush). This film has award bait written all over it and while the directing, acting and set is all top shelf, the main reason this film holds up is because of the chemistry between Firth and Rush. Firth is the stubborn yet forceful would-be king and Rush keeps him honest, insisting on no secrets between them and even calling him "Bertie."
Whether The King's Speech wins an Oscar or not doesn't really change anything. In the end, this is an enjoyably harmless film combining drama with a polite dose of commoner-meets-royalty humour thrown in for good measure.
