The King's Speech on DVD (2011)

The King's Speech is one R-rated movie that is well worth seeing. It's rated R only for language, and although the F-word is used, it is not upsetting, and if there ever were a time to use it, the way it is used in this movie is one of those times.

Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter star in this true-to-life tale of King George VI, the father of the current Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. Known as Bertie to his family, Prince Albert later chose the name George to be his royal name and carry on the legacy of his own father. At the beginning of The King's Speech, Bertie is not yet king, and in fact, his older brother is in line to be king before him. The problem is, that brother loves a divorced woman, an American, and he cannot be king and marry her. His brother abdicates for love, but Bertie is not considered a much better choice since he cannot speak publicly. He can barely speak to his own children without a stutter. He's hired physicians, but they have not helped, counseling him even to smoke to relax his lungs. Then his wife (played by Carter) finds a speech therapist (Rush) with unconventional but proven methods, and after some persuasion, Bertie goes to see him.

The rest of the story details the efforts they go through to help him speak in public, leading through his coronation and up to an all important speech to the country as they enter war against the Germans. It's mesmerizing and beautiful, even with all the cursing, which somehow only makes it feel real, rather than dirty. Colin Firth does an amazing job as the king, his frustration so palpable and heart-wrenching, and Helena Bonham Carter is perfect and believable in her counter-stereotype role as his loving, supportive wife. Most of all, the movie presents a moving tale of the friendship of two men, one a king and one not even a proper doctor but a man who believed in a king.

This movie deserves its title for Best Picture of 2010, and I highly recommend it.