With the decline in the average person’s attention span and the advent of special effects that can show people not only dodging bullets but sweat flying off their forehead as they do it, its unusual to see a big budget film that expects our complete focus and has no special effects to speak of. It’s even harder to envision a film being good that is completely dialogue driven with the focus on a man with a stutter. I mean this movie wasn’t even in 3D!

Despite all my doubts “The King’s Speech” is a good and engaging movie. Colin Firth plays Richard the sixth, the king of England, during World War 2. With the advent of radio Richard is forced to confront his speech impediment in order to address his country in their time of need. The king seeks help from an eccentric speech therapist played by Geoffery Rush.

The cast is spot on. Helena Bonham Carter playing the queen is perfect. Her compassion for her husband throughout the film suggests a real working connection between the two actors.

The film is actually quite moving and doesn’t even fall back on what I like to call “The Mighty Duck Ending.” It is clear that this film was shooting to win awards in its choice of topic and actors. I mean the movie is set during WWII, it’s about a guy with a speech defect, and Firth and Carter have both been nominated for Oscars while Rush has already won one. That’s playing to win. “The King’s Speech” is up against some stiff competition this year but will probably walk away with at least one or two awards.

The movie is about two hours long and is a bit slow. If you are looking for eye-popping action, thrilling sex appeal, or sweat that looks so real you swear you can smell the B.O from your seat, this movie is not for you. I would recommend seeing it, that is if you can still stand to go see movies that aren’t in 3D.

Rating: (4.5/5)