"The King's Speech"

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that Colin Firth was a recurring theme in a previous post about romantic comedies. I assure you that this post has nothing to do with that, even though my husband does regularly refer to him as one of my “boyfriends” and I have been a fan of his since - well - let’s just admit it (even though it has to be quite a thorn in his side to still be linked to Mr. Darcy) the 1995 “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries.

“The King’s Speech” is honestly one of the best movies I’ve seen in years and I think that you should see it even if you think you wouldn't like “that kind of movie.”

The film is based upon the true story of King George VI (a man who was never intended for the throne, but had it thrust upon him with the abdication of his brother) and his struggle to overcome a speech impediment that had plagued him throughout his entire life. He became King just as England was about to face World War II, when his country needed a monarch who could speak to them and for them in the face of the German threat and, ironically, in the face of the threat of Hitler himself, whose strength was greatly magnified by his own ability to use oratory to inspire his followers.

But enough about that, because the film is actually instead simply about a wife (Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother) who loves her husband (Bertie, soon to become King George VI) so much that she is willing to go to a very seedy part of London to engage a very unorthodox Australian-born speech therapist (Lionel Logue) after all other formal attempts have failed. The story that follows is of the relationship and bond that develops between her husband and the therapist, in spite of all of the reasons they should not and could not become friends.

Not a stuffy British film at all (as you might expect), at its heart, it is actually no more than a buddy movie. Yes – I said "a buddy movie." While historically-based, biographical, and stylishly filmed as a period drama, with the brilliant acting of Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colin Firth, the film transcends all of that by giving us incredibly relatable characters. The history lesson is also tempered with quite a bit of unexpected humor, mostly stemming from Lionel's banter with Bertie as he tries to get to the source of his stammer - the neglect, the taunting, and the emotional turmoil that he faced as a young man.

The director, Tom Hooper, who also directed another of my favorite historic biographical pieces, the HBO miniseries, “John Adams,” delivers through these amazing actors a compelling, moving, and yet entertaining portrait of a real man facing his demons in what may be the worst possible time for him to have to do so, quietly emerging as a hero.

As the credits roll, we learn that Bertie and Lionel remained friends for the rest of their lives - which is just as any good buddy movie worth its weight should end.