The King's Speech

This year's Oscar-baiting British period piece is better than most. The King's Speech is a polished, tasteful drama that's entertaining enough without becoming anything outstanding. Strong performances and a witty script elevate this above the form's usual chronic dryness.

Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth), the second son of King George V (Michael Gambon), gives a disastrous speech at the closing of the 1925 Empire Exhibition. "Bertie" becomes a national laughingstock for crippling stutter, which exacerbates his father and troubles his devoted wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter). Albert enlists the help of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist with decidedly unorthodox therapy methods. The two work together on and off for a decade, with little apparent progress, but things come to a head in 1936 when Albert's playboy brother Edward (Guy Pearce) takes the throne after George's death, becoming immediately embroiled in a scandal with his American lover Wallis Simpson (Eve Best). After Edward abdicates for the woman he loves, George becomes a most-reluctant King, needing Logue's help more than ever as England slides towards war with Nazi Germany.

Since Merchant-Ivory "perfected" the form in the '80s, the British "period piece" has become a dramatic desert of deadly dull stories with pretty Brits in pretty costumes. Recent titles like The Queen, The Duchess and The Young Victoria are perfect cases in point. These films often serve as actor's showcases, particularly when they star a Helen Mirren or Cate Blanchet, but rarely have any other value for viewers, being dramatically inert if sparkly bores.

To immense credit of director Tom Hooper, who previously helmed the superb John Adams series for HBO, and screenwriter David Seidler, The King's Speech is significantly better than most of its peers. The usual pomp and circumstance of period costume and locales is mixed well with a story that's actually, well, interesting. Occasionally distant and dry, it's certainly not a masterpiece, but it still tells an interesting slice of British history reasonably well.

Seidler's superb screenplay is a major selling point. The movie sparkles with wit and quotable dialogue, miles better than the pompous platitudes that generally characterize the genre. The story is interesting: besides the King's relationship with Logue, there's plenty of drama to chew over in Edward's ill-fated reign and the approach of World War II (and with Hitler in the other corner, being an inspiring speaker becomes infinitely more important). The film makes its central relationship believable by emphasizing its novelty: before Logue, George has never spoken honestly with a commoner, and connects with the impish Australian better than his dysfunctional family. Hooper also earns points for remaining as historically accurate as dramatic necessity allows.

While undeniably involving, The King's Speech never becomes truly absorbing. Despite Rush's fine performance, Logue remains a distant character and what the relationship gives him isn't so clear, and he's not half as compelling a character as Albert. And the events of the film are more interesting cumulatively than as individual scenes, skewing detail for sensation and period detail. Pretty but static direction by Hooper doesn't help much, either. As a result, the denoument - the King's speech to the Empire on the outbreak of war - isn't the dramatically explosive set-piece the film desires. For all its virtues, The King's Speech clinical distance from its audience (and characters) prevents it from being great.

Colin Firth (The English Patient) is brilliant, making Bertie a good man tortured by a crippling disability. He nails all his big scenes and is never less than compelling, making him a shoe-in for a Best Actor nod. Geoffrey Rush plays Logue with the perfect mixture of insouciance, determination and warmth, making a somewhat underdeveloped character interesting. Helena Bonham Carter has less to do, mostly worrying about her Bertie. The supporting cast includes a roster of familiar actors playing familiar personages: Guy Pearce's (The Hurt Locker) snotty Edward VIII, who can't separate his throne from his rocky personal life, Michael Gambon (Gosford Park)'s honorable George V, unable to grasp Bertie's problems, and Derek Jacobi's (The Day of the Jackal) stuffy Archbishop. Timothy Spall's (Enchanted) gruff Winston Churchill and Anthony Andrews's (Under the Volcano) flustered Stanley Baldwin represent the political side, emphasizing the importance of Albert's endeavor.

Is The King's Speech a polished, entertaining film with a slew of great performances? Certainly. Is it the best film of the year? Not by a long shot. But don't be shocked if it nabs a few statuettes next month.