The King's Speech (2010)
Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, and Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by Tom Hooper
Seeing as how I'm posting this review the day before the Oscars and this British period film has already made over $100 million at the box office, I'm sure anybody that wanted to see The King's Speech has seen it already and no review of mine will make a difference. That said, The King's Speech is a lovely film. Filled with wit, charm, and wonderful performances, it's easy to see why this connected with an adult audience longing to see smart films.
There's been talk this Oscar season of The King's Speech having "heart," hence it resonating with moviegoers more than The Social Network, and it's a statement that I can't deny. I did walk out of The Social Network thinking that the whole affair was rather cold and detached, never letting me relate to any of the characters on a level I would have liked. The King's Speech, however, is "feel-good" and contains characters we want to see succeed. Don't get me wrong, I don't need my movies to be happy (heck, my number one flick of the year, Blue Valentine, is as depressing as it gets), but I can see where the Academy members give Speech an edge over Network because of the inspiring mood of the former.
Ultimately, I do think The King's Speech is the better movie of the two main contenders and a huge chunk of the reasoning behind that is the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth is just great as King George VI, thrust into power even though he always found himself in the shadows of his father and brother thanks to his stuttering speech impediment. Firth's role as a nervous and shy (future) king could've been played much showier which would have been much to the film's detriment. As it stands now, Firth's rather subdued take on the monarch coupled with Geoffrey Rush's at times both snarky and sympathetic role as speech consultant-cum-psychologist Lionel Logue elevate the film to another level. Two other men in these roles may have made the film run-of-mill and average, but Firth and Rush together play off of each other so brilliantly.
[I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Helena Bonham Carter as the King's wife. This is probably the best I've seen Bonham Carter -- absolutely lovely.]
Credit also must go to director Tom Hooper who manages to make a period piece about British royalty not seem stodgy and uptight. With some clever directorial choices and a surprising ability to keep things moving, Hooper deserves the kudos he's been receiving along the way this Oscar season. Who would've thunk watching a five-minute speech would've been interesting and exciting? Not I, but Hooper makes it so.
So, while I wouldn't say I saved the Best Film of 2010 for last, The King's Speech will definitely be a worthy winner of Best Picture should it take the top prize on Sunday night's Oscar telecast. I, for one, would not be the least bit disappointed with it being victorious.
The RyMickey Rating: A-
Not enough praise for Firth, IMO.
ReplyDeleteAlso, glad you liked it. ;)
That's just a quick review...felt like I needed to get something out before tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAs you'll see in my Oscar predictions going up momentarily, Firth is my "Should Win" candidate (and there's obviously no doubt he's going to win).
I kept thinking that it couldn't possibly be as enjoyable as everyone (from you to even the kids at work) was saying it was, but goshdarnit, it really was an excellent film. It's astounding that a British period picture about a monarch with a speech impediment could be so engaging.