THE KING'S SPEECH.

Well, I finally saw it. Today was the last day it was playing at my local theater, so I figured I might as well check it out. For those of you who don't know, it tells the story of the rise of King George VI (Colin Firth), who starts out as the measly Duke of York while his father, King George V (Michael Gambon), runs the roost with his brother, Edward (Guy Pearce), is up for the throne afterward. Well, before he was George, he was Bertie, and Bertie has a stutter. So Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), takes him to a speech therapist named Lionel (Geoffrey Rush) to get some help. Bertie and Lionel form somewhat of a friendship as they go along, Lionel trying to get the stubborn Bertie to see that he does, in fact, have a voice. The film also features Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill (which brings its Harry Potter count to 3).

There's really nothing to say about this film that hasn't already been said or inferred. The rumor mills have been spinning that it's gonna make a sweep at the Oscars. It's definitely the front runner over the previously established front-runner, The Social Network. At the very least, Colin Firth has Best Actor in the bag. So let's start there.

The acting is, obviously, brilliant. Firth does magnificently in the role, emoting the pain and struggle of not only living with a stutter, but having to be this perfect figure of authority at the same time. There's a lot of emotion displayed, most of it through his facial expressions. Bonham Carter also does well as his wife, and it's pleasant to see her not doing something bizarre. But my favorite of the bunch is Geoffrey Rush, who was outstanding as Lionel Logue. He was funny, charming, and just a bit odd. He was certainly my favorite character in the film.

The visuals of the film were also gorgeous. The camera work and cinematography worked together beautifully. There were some angles and positions that were really inspiring, and working together with what we were seeing truly pulled it together. There's a scene really early on with a car going through the fog, which was probably one of my favorite shots in the entire movie.

The only thing working against the film--for me--is that it really is Oscar-bait. As such, I found myself checking my watch rather frequently (as Oscar-bait films aren't exactly my thing, as it were). Though it wasn't particularly boring, either, thanks to the relationship and chemistry between Firth and Rush. Will I go out and buy it when it hits the shelves? Probably not, but that has nothing to do with its quality. So do I recommend it? Definitely. It's a fantastic film all around: the acting, the visuals, the music... it's all superb, and I totally agree with the accolades it has been receiving.


Royale With Cheese

(P.S. That rating is more on scale of the quality. I wouldn't even give it a Whoa, as it's definitely a 5-star film. It's going back to that difference between favorite and best. So now we wait for Anonymous to comment.)