2010--The King's Speech,Tom Hooper

2010--The King's Speech, Tom Hooper

Nominated: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone

Should have won: Toy Story 3

Be sure to see: Easy A, How to Train Your Dragon, Let Me In, Machete, Shutter Island, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

“Forget everything else and just say it to me. Say it to me as a friend.”--Lionel Logue

     I said there had never been and will never be a more dialogue-driven Oscar winner than 1977's Annie Hall; that was before I saw The King's Speech. Of course they rely on dialogue for different reasons. While the former is a sharp witted comedy with wise-cracking one liners, the latter is actually about the importance of the spoken word.

     It is 1934 and King George VI is presenting a speech at Wembley Stadium, but he has a serious stutter, has had it for as long as he can remember. Having a stutter would be embarrassing enough as it is, add to the fact he is a man of such power stuttering through important speeches only increases the need for help. So his wife seeks out Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist to coach him before he gives an important radio broadcast about Britain’s war against Germany. Logue's methods are unconventional to say the least. Not to mention he demands to call the king by his first name, and the king has a very explosive temper.

     The first therapy session reminded me of Good Will Hunting, in a sense, with similar banter back and forth between patient and therapist. It is revealed King George's childhood consisted of an abusive nanny who wouldn't feed him and, because he was left handed, forced him to write with his right hand.  After his father passes, he was to get the throne but instead it is handed to his brother. After he steps down, George gets the honor back.

     Certain topics make him stutter more but singing, waltzing around the room and cursing, of all things, help him defeat his stutter. It is at this point I'd like to get on my soapbox on the MPAA and its ridiculous rating system. There is a rule that if the word “fuck” is used either 1. to refer to a sexual manner or 2. more than once the movie is to be rated “R” so nobody under 17 will be admitted. This is the same reason the family comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles is rated “R”. That is a real shame because the message seems to be an important one for high schoolers to experience. When the king swears he stutters less so while practicing his speeches he will utter a vulgar word a few times. This movie seems to be a great teaching lesson to students and certainly a must see for anyone with speech difficulties but, because of its rating, a vast number of the potential audience becomes lost. It is a pity.

     There is a nice surprise in what the doctor reveals and most movies need something like this. There is also a certain punishment which should be bestowed upon him, but King George has grown close to his new friend. And when it comes time for the apex of the movie, the big speech, the score was so sweeping and epic I forgot I was supposed to pay attention to the actual words. I was listening to the score and making sure George doesn't stutter rather than listen to his message.Maybe that was the movie's point rather than the speech itself. 

     The King's Speech is an enjoyable movie and is recommended, particularity for high schoolers. Ignore the ridiculous "R" rating and watch it. 

     *Note: This marks only the third time in Oscar history an animated movie was nominated for best picture. Beauty and the Beast lost to The Silence of the Lambs for 1991 and Up lost to The Hurt Locker the year previous to this movie. That being said, I think Toy Story 3 should have won, not just to finally set that standard but because it is a very, very good movie.