Review: The King's Speech

WARNING: This review contains film spoilers. Read at your own risk.
[Editor's note] Weekend before last, my gal pal Cecilia and I treated ourselves to Colin Firth's newest Oscar contender, The King's Speech. As the story of King George VI (Elizabeth's father), the film recounts his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped him become worthy of it.

In a lot of ways, this film is less about exploring the cult of the Royals than it is about the remarkable and unexpected friendship between a King and his unorthodox therapist (played by the incomparable Geoffrey Rush). It is a film that cuts through the entanglements of what's proper to reveal what is ultimately a very human connection.
Firth's interpretation of stammering King George is pitch-perfect (no pun intended). He brings to life a man that is at once regal and flawed-- A man who struggles to find who he is while trying to define his nation's role in the world. Conflicted but resolute, Firth delivers a powerhouse performance that will surely lead him to the winner's circle come award season.

As much as I love Mr. Firth in this and all he does (see: A Single Man, Then She Found Me), The King's Speech is decidedly Geoffrey Rush's film. As royal therapist Lionel Logue, Rush is very much the quintessential wing-man to His Majesty. And yet, he is still very much his own man. Undaunted by the importance of his patient, Logue proceeds to help the King in ways that go beyond the speech therapy. He eases the stammer by empowering the King's confidence. Simply put, Rush turns in a performance rich in humor and candor that will surely lead HIM to the winner's circle.
If the subject matter doesn't exactly appeal to you, just go see two masters of their craft do what they do best.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regarding the Barry Manilow concert in Coral Gables

Image
[ Editor's note ] Three monumental things have happened to me at the BankUnited Center. In 2004, my high school held its graduation ceremony there. In 2008, I heard presidential nominee Barack Obama speak about the future. And this past Saturday night, I saw the incomparable Barry Manilow perform in concert. To say that Barry remains every bit the superstar I was hoping for is putting it mildly. At 67 years young, he brought all the magic, the smiles, and the bandstand boogie he's famous for and then some. Funny, talented and charmingly self-deprecating, Barry Manilow remains without equal. Admittedly, the night started off rather poorly. Barry’s opening act was a man named Gerry McCambridge who has allegedly been wowing audiences at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas since 2005. As the creative force and inspiration behind the TV show The Mentalist , McCambridge's schtick is to do clever things with numbers. Honestly, I've never thought that doing anything with numbers w...
Read more

Regarding Steve Grand at Market Days

Image
Today, in the unlikeliest place imaginable, a musician restored my faith in music. His name is Steve Grand and believe me when I say that he lives up to his name. I first heard about Steve a year ago when his video for “All-American Boy” spread across the Internet like a wildfire. Being an ardent supporter of talented people (because there are so few of them left!) I downloaded the song, donated a little money to his Kickstarter campaign for an album, and followed him on the Twitter. Then last week I found out that he’d be at Market Days this weekend and quickly made arrangements to be there, too. Given the venue and nature of the audience, I was not expecting much. Steve is handsome and built like a truck, so I thought he’d come out shirtless, the audience of boys would fawn over him for the duration of three songs, and that would be that. How wonderfully wrong I was. Steve came out fully clothed-- wearing a plain white V-neck tee shirt, skinny black Levis, and...
Read more

California high court expected to rule on same-sex marriage

Image
The California Supreme Court is expected to determine the fate of same-sex marriage in the state today as well as the validity of about 18,000 same-sex marriages. The court will rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the controversial measure banning same-sex marriage that voters approved in November. Its opponents want the amendment nullified. They say the proposition alters California's Constitution and, therefore, under state law, is a revision that requires a constitutional convention. Attorneys for the opponents also say the proposition, which removed the "marriage" label from same-sex unions, effectively deprives same-sex couples of a fundamental right guaranteed them under the equal-protection clause in the U.S. Constitution. Proposition 8 passed with about 52.5 percent of the vote, making California one of several states to ban same-sex marriage in the November 4 elections. But unlike others, California had been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex coupl...
Read more