MOVIE - The King's Speech

Wow - AMAZING acting - My favorite so far this year
Limited release (WHY Limited???) 11-26-10
R (for language - sort of crazy!)
1:51
1-5-11 at El Con with Sheila
RT 95 cag 97
Director: Tim Hopper

Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter,

Prince Albert...."Bertie"...soon to be King George VI....has had a debilitating stammer since he was five years old. Speeches, especially in the 1930's when radio speeches were listened to by the entire country, were of the utmost importance. Not only was Bertie paralyzed by this, it made the entire country uncomfortable.

Bertie had a really cool wife (I remember her as an elderly woman, the "Queen Mother") who adored her husband and supported him. She sought out Lionel ......, an expert speech coach. He is unorthodox, clever, and funny. Bertie and Lionel don't hit it off....at all....at first. But the relationship that grows between them, and the help and confidence that he's able to give the king, is fascinating to watch.

How did Colin Firth pull this off? The stammering. Stuttering. Agony in his clenched jaw. Rage. Tenderness. Wow oh wow. He did an amazing job. As did Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Wow.

(Woven into Bertie's story is Lionel's story. I love they way we meet his wife and sons. The entire movie was clever, solid, well-written, and blew me away.) It was funny too!