Welcome back to the first DECADE OF BEST PICTURES series of reviews where we will be taking a
look at a decade of Best Picture winners over the course of 10 days. In this
series we will be looking at the decade of Best Pictures from 2005-2015 in
reverse chronological order! This sixth entry will be for the 2010 Best Picture
winner THE KING’S SPEECH!
The King’s Speech
is the 2010 Best Picture winner from director Tom Hooper. This film tells the
story of King George VI who had a serious problem with stammering that he had
to overcome as his father passed and his brother abdicated leaving him on the
Throne of the United Kingdom (and it’s foreign colonies and territories) on the
brink of World War II. The film stars Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham
Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, and Timothy Spall.
I really like The King’s
Speech. Nay, I love The King’s Speech.
This is a really good film. Yes, it’s traditional. Yes, it has relatively low
stakes. But, at the end of the day, this film is impeccably well made, well-acted,
and connected with me as an audience member. I think the primary thing this
film does well is to transport you to the United Kingdom in the 1930s. The
production is extremely period accurate and stunningly recreated. I felt like I
was there and it added a level of believability that would just not be there
otherwise.
I also thought that the performances in the film were
extremely well captured. Colin Firth in particular did a stellar job in playing
King George VI. As someone so eloquent, it’s very hard to imagine him with a
significant stammer, however, in this film he nails that and you actually
believe he has this impediment which, in his position, is a serious issue. Geoffrey
Rush is also quite impeccable. He has this certain lightness about everything
he does and he, in many ways, mocks traditional institutional roles in cheeky
and meaningful ways which propels the story and breaks down the wall to create
a friendship between two unlikely individuals. The supporting cast fills this
film out well with Helena Bonham Carter playing Queen Elizabeth with her usual
quirkiness and Guy Pearce and Michael Gambon nailing their respective roles as King
George VI’s brother and father.
What really succeeds in The
King’s Speech is how it connects with the audience, however. The film is
not just a period drama. It is a period drama with a heart and soul that
captivate and enthrall you. All of the conflict in the film is very human and
the end goal (to give a good/rousing wartime speech) is a slight but important
one. The film also manages to be extremely funny, including the coarse language
scene that earned this film a ridiculous R-rating stateside. There are lots of
heavier moments but they’re broken up with well patterned and effective
humorous moments that keeps the audience with big smiles on their faces
throughout. It is this dueling tonality that I think makes this a great movie
and elevates it beyond something on HBO.
The only tiny complaint I have with The King’s Speech is that it isn’t a movie that calls me to come
back to it frequently. Every time I see it I enjoy myself greatly, but I rarely
feel compelled to see it. That’s not truly the biggest problem but with a film
that is this watchable, there is a certain X-factor missing that I can’t fully
describe.
Overall, this is a very good film. It wouldn’t be my Best
Picture pick of 2010 (Toy Story 3),
but it isn’t a bad entry in the pantheon of Best Picture winners. Definitely
one to check out!
Ryan’s Score: 9/10
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