2011 Movie Reviews

Mini Review: The King’s Speech

The King's Speech Blu-ray Art
The King’s Speech Blu-ray Art The Kings Speech © 2010 The Weinstein Company Inc. All Rights Reserved

I loved last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner “The King’s Speech,” starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. This period piece, which takes place in the 1930s leading into World War II, follows the soon-to-be crowned King George VI (Colin Firth), a man who suffers from a stammer.

George’s speech impediment severely limits him in the numerous public speaking engagements he must attend, and leaves him without confidence as a leader. When traditional speech therapy fails him, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) seeks out the unorthodox Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to aid her husband. At first, Logue’s informal methods clash with the king’s royal upbringing, but over time the two form a strong bond.

Colin Firth gives a convincing performance as the King George VI, showing us a character who legitimately struggles with demons from his past that created his impediment. While normally Bonham Carter plays outlandish roles, she reins herself in skillfully to play quietly caring Elizabeth. Geoffrey Rush excels as the unflinching speech therapist Lionel Logue, proving that tough love can be the most fruitful way to help patients. The solid performance of the main actors is further supported by director Tom Hooper’s ability to create anxiety around public speaking. He accomplishes this through his use of high and low shots with a wide angle lens that make each event feel nerve wracking.

My Grade: A

Evan Crean

Hello! My name is Evan Crean. By day I work for a marketing agency, but by night, I’m a film critic based in Boston, MA. Since 2009, I have written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews for Starpulse.com. I have also contributed pieces to NewEnglandFilm.com and to The Independent, as a writer and editor. I maintain an active Letterboxd account too. In addition to publishing short form work, I am a co-author of the book Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on CreateSpace and Amazon. The book is the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, which distills advice from ’80s movies on how to tackle many of life’s challenges. On top of writing, I co-host and edit the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with two other Boston film critics. I’m a founding member and the current treasurer for the Boston Online Film Critics Association as well. This site, Reel Recon.com, is a one-stop-shop where you can find links to all of my past and present work. Have any questions or comments after checking it out? Please feel free to email me (Evan Crean) at: ecrean AT reelrecon DOT COM .