Sovereign Soliloquies : A Review of The King's Speech

I know it's a bit late, but I finally got around to watching last year's Academy Awards Best Picture winner (as well as some other awards). I went in knowing almost nothing about it, since the first time I really heard a lot about it was when it got so many nominations for awards. It turns out it's a sort of historical drama of King George IV of England's effort to overcome his speech impediment, and won a lot of praise for the excellent acting and recreation of the period.

Beyond that, I honestly don't feel like I have that much to say about the movie, which points to the strong points and the weaknesses. The acting, as stated, is terrific, and although I'm not very familiar with the actual historical figures and time period I assume that all are up to high standards. Similarly, while I don't know personally know anyone with a stammer like that, the work Colin Firth does seems very authentic and emotional. With that said, the story told is rather... boring, at least to me. It's literally just the Prince attempting to overcome his speech impediment, alongside all the pressures and frustrations of being part of the royal family. Yes, there's also the growing friendship between George and his unorthodox speech therapist, but while it was interesting to watch evolve I didn't find it terribly compelling.

I know this is kind of an odd complaint to levy against a movie, considering that one of my favorite shows is Azumanga Daioh (a show where not much happens) but I guess my problem is that the slow plot isn't really replaced by much else, and there were moments (not a lot, but they were there) where I got bored. I don't think this is an issue with pacing or writing or anything like that, I just feel that the story itself isn't super compelling. It is told well and acted with great passion, but the source material just isn't quite what I was expecting.

Besides this one complaint, though, it was a very solid and very enjoyable film. I definitely understand why it won such critical acclaim, although I'm not quite sure if it would have been my personal choice for Best Picture (I think Black Swan would have taken this). However, in terms of excellent acting, good writing, and overall great production values, The King's Speech is definitely worth watching if you get the chance and think you'd appreciate a good period drama.

-HTMC