Quick Recommendation-- The King's Speech

Normally I'd wait until my quarterly/half-yearly review section, but seeing as how it's in theaters now, I thought I'd mention it.

I saw The King's Speech this weekend.  I knew it would be good, but I didn't realize just how good it would be.

Funny thing: I didn't want to see a movie this weekend.  I've been getting my teeth kicked in at work for some time now (why I haven't finished my last six months-worth of movie reviews) and was just looking forward to a quiet night at home.  But my wife and I found ourselves childless for a night, so we decided to take advantage of it.  Not much showing that we knew to be good, and even though I was thinking The King's Speech would be fine to watch at home on Blu-Ray/DVD, I have to say I'm very glad I saw in a theatre.  The way the film was shot, seeing the close-ups of Colin Firth on a big screen as he struggled through some scenes as the stuttering Bertie, really highighted the incredible acting he was doing.

Anyway, The King's Speech is about King George VI (whom his family called "Bertie"), who found himself thrust into the throne through a few family events that didn't go his way (he had no desire to be king).  Bertie was a good family man and knew him being king would have come from some deaths in his family.  He also suffered from a terrible stutter, and it did little to make him seem very royal. 

And to add his panic over being a stuttering king, his country was also on the precipice of war.  Hitler and the Germans were running roughshod through Europe, and his people needed a king they could stand behind.

Bertie needed someone to help him find his voice, and he finally comes into contact with Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, an Australian who has a pretty unorthodox teaching style.

I don't want to give too much away, but it's pretty safe to say the path seems pretty standard: oddball speech therapist offends the Royal, they have a spat, but he realizes that the therapist was making headway.  They work together and form a bond neither thought would happen when they started.  But even though the plot seems standard enough, the two lead actors brought an incredible depth to their roles-- and to the friendship the two men form.

It's a truly wonderful film, and it's amazing to watch those two actors work their roles as they did, so do yourself a favor and check it out.