King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war. (IMBd)
At times touching and at times extremely amusing, the film always maintains the right balance between the two and never descends into farce or melodrama, as could so easily happen with such a premise in the hands of a less skillful team. Indeed it is to the great credit of the filmmakers that the relationship between Bertie and Logue, which, at its core is fairly standard fish-out-of-water stuff, never feels clichéd. Very surprised if Colin Firth doesn’t (deservedly) win the best actor Oscar for his performance.
