#6
I think there's been a whole Oscar cyle since I've seen this movie, and it was released in 2010. Nonetheless I saw this in Madison in 2011 so it was in the running for my top 10. I'll have to say it's a movie that suffers from Oscar-winning residue. This is the kind that makes not-bad but not-incredible movies the ultimate winners over much more interesting and deserving movies. A look at some of my top 10 of 2010 shows this... True Grit, Social Network (that one was a little overrated, I admit), INCEPTION, WINTER'S BONE, THE FIGHTER... AND BLACK SWAN! Not only were these movies great, they were also directed by visionaries behind tons of bold groundbreaking movies of the past 15 years. Yet King's Speech won Best Picture, and Best Director... sigh, well water under the bridge.
Yes, the subject matter puts a lot of monumental global tension through a dim narrow prism in the form of the King's struggles with his speech impediment. But put aside the need for a context with more gravitas and what you get is a very well acted and engaging story, rich in detail and surprisingly suspenseful. Colin Firth's performance is just incredible... there is so much weight on the delivery of his words that your heart stops as he struggles. Royalty is nothing if not without stature and the ability to impress, and this King, while not mentally weak, has to struggle so much early on to do the most basic speeches. So it's not something I'm rushing out to see again, but it is a high quality movie with an honest expression of human frailty and its consequences.
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