Thank you Academy Awards for suggesting movies for me when I normally only see movies that are "Blockbusters" which surely entertain me. I was disappointed with this holiday's movie offerings. There wasn't one that really made me say "Wow".
Then I saw "The King's Speech". No one will bother to see it unless they... 1. Have a fascination with the British monarchy. 2. Are speech pathologists, or 3. Are fans of Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter or Geoffrey Rush. I can say yes to 2 out of 3.
"The King's Speech" story was one I had never heard of or paid attention to. Queen Elizabeth's Father had a severe speech impediment and only gained the throne when his brother's relationship with a divorced woman caused him to abdicate. The movie told the tale of this man who had been abused by royal nannies, somewhat ridiculed by his father, The King. All because he had stammer.
The story begins when he was a happily husband, father and second in line to the throne. His speech problems were an embarrassment in his public speaking endeavors and national broadcasts were in their genesis. The most brilliant individuals versed in correcting speech were brought in to no avail. Then, the woman we now know as the late "Queen Mother" found a successful, unconventional resource that saved the day.
Colin Firth, always the consummate actor, will win an Academy Award for this role. He did an incredible job and it is his turn to take home the gold. Ms. Bonham-Carter and Mr. Rush gave amazing performances but will not win because of the subject matter and because it's just not in the cards.
This was the first movie I've seen in a long time that made me laugh, cry and cheer.
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