I'm Speechless... (some minor spoilers)

As typical action-loving viewer, I normal would pass up a chance to watch a dreary looking movie. But in my very most meaningful moment, there is a rare chance that I would bite what that movie's trailer has offered because it shook my mind to the point that I will be hyped to see it like I would when I come across a potential, action-filled blockbuster. I don't why these rare moments happen to li'l o' me, but I will gladly choose to embrace it because it hasn't let me down yet. As you would notice, this is not the typical nonsense that I always write, but like I said, this is a rare moment.

My other chances of ignoring my usual tastes were the opportunity of watching Becoming Jane, Juno, Doubt, Valkyrie and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I didn't make a review about them because my interests for them [or rants] didn't last long. Now I'm reviewing this one because, I feel that it aroused me enough for it to be engraved in my mind.

I'm not gonna tease you anymore. The movie I'm talking about is The King's Speech.

 

(poster from http://www.latinoreview.com/images/stories/the_kings_speech_movie_poster.jpg)

The story is about King George VI and his struggle to speak publicly. Now this guy is had it really bad when it comes to public speeches. In every speech that he was obligated to do, he stuttered, and it was far for what I expected from royal prince. I realized that stuttering can be the worse royal problem. To solve his problems, Prince Albert (future King George, a.k.a. "Bertie" for short), hired an unlikely speech therapist... well, i think not really licensed as a therapist. They were off with a rocky start, but as they work together to eliminate his worst fears, their relationship turned from pure professional to a long-lasting friendship.

(from http://www.hollywoodnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/the-kings-speech-colin-firth-600x250-wd1.jpg)

I first saw Colin Firth (who played King George VI/ Prince Albert) in the Bridget Jones' Diary movies and he didn't gave me a good impression back them. I heard he was "dreamy" when he did Pride and Prejudice , but I still ignored him because, he didn't look dreamy for me in the first place [haha! sorry Mr.Darcy]. When I saw him in Mama Mia, I was thinking "Hmm... there's something very intriguing about this guy." In this biopic flick, he's quite different from what I expected. He showed an impressive range of emotions that most actors would have trouble to express in front of the camera. But in every emotion, you can still see his character's pain, shame and frustration underneath, which was, at times, adorable. He impressed me this time and I will certainly be cheering for him in the Oscar Awards. 

(from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OqjkMaPfgxM-xMUfHK6WRLfD1K_kHUq4QclDYCq5_opkVFwgfmPLKpCDYi-Ok5DHZHD_3fVwAQ3-Gik2MeO7O7ylyNcK-Ky3mBl-R_uISEm15ZwmW4oWEbQmBkw_aEqgW8FbBA7GAUyR/s1600/kingsspeech-geoffrey-rush-450x182.jpg)

Now, Geoffrey Rush (who played Lionel Logue, the speech therapist)... I always see him as Capt. Barbosa from The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, whenever I see him on screen. It's good for me to see him to play this kind of character 'cause I haven't see him in movies other than POTC and  Taylor of Panama. In this one, he was very witty but not so over the top. Both Firth and Rush work really well on the screen. They were pretty believable. 

(from http://i.indiewire.com/images/uploads/i/KingsSpeech.jpg)

Helena Bonham Carter (who played Queen Elizabeth, King George VI's wife) was acting queen-ish like what you'd expect for royals, but never fell short of anything. She delivered the lines perfectly and she was in her most gentle manner as the queen. 

(from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3EhMiqGbVY3C9c99bGWEK8ay_gM0K-Um14HnaMDcd0L-DRXkpLaWm6-p0XofoVbq0ZfE2DErV2x5bFjBevOiUeP_WssWkpkoQ9UV1YHZarNFyz0jt6AiGYBFzlLcLZtkMrkUxoqmsIsX/s1600/kings-speech-guy+pierce.jpg)

Somehow, Guy Pierce (who played Edward VIII, George VI's older brother) annoyed me. His acting was very much like what he did in The Count of Monte Cristo. He was a brat! I really wanted to punch him when he teased Firth's character by mimicing the stammer. But I guess, that means the acting was effective. I can see that he was a little bit on the antagonist side, but never quite reached villainy. The only thing that bugs me was that Pierce looked younger than Firth which was contrary their charater's age.

Now the story telling was superb. I couldn't describe it in any other way. The scenes were simple and yet they show some of the most important people in the history of the UK.Supprisingly, there were some humor in the scenes, specially at the beginning parts.

Another great thing about this film is that it showed the world and pressures of a person who stammers. Mostly ridiculed by peers, people who stutter don't get heard a lot. The King's Speech is an opportunity to show the world that stuttering ain't an easy problem. It can haunt a person for the rest of their lives.

(from http://www.getthebigpicture.net/storage/pics/09/kinggeorge6.jpg)

The real King George VI

I really like this movie, and I hope to watch it again with a movie buddy. I liked it maybe because I can relate to the king. I never stammer when I talk normally but I have great fear of speaking in front of the public and therefore have tendencies to create something close to "2 minutes of silence" in between paragraphs or words.  I would never volunteer to do it and I would most likely to try to avoid it. Whenever I was forced to do it, I was always shaking, worrying about the outcome or my mistakes. Watching this film really inspired me to build myself up and to be confident in front of people. 

Warning!: There were some tear-jerker scenes that really hit me... really deep, so you might as well have some tissues with you (you'll never know whether it will make you shed some tears or not) lol!.

Even though it was just a movie about a man and his speech problems, it was one of the best I've ever seen. I definitely recommend it.

9.5/10

No extensive CGI

No explosions.

No love scenes.

Just a beautiful story.

Simple does really mean better, cause it's nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

2011's Oscars... I can't wait!!!