The King’s Speech            118 min.                   PG-13

When I first heard about The King’s Speech, I was pretty uninterested. The plot line involves the King of England learning not to stammer. So what? However, after watching the Academy Awards, my interest was piqued. When a movie comes away with Best Original Screenplay, Directing, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Picture,  it has to be good.

The story conveys a simple message: believe in yourself. Prince Albert, who later becomes King George VI, is suddenly crowned king when his brother David abdicates. Albert has been overshadowed by David his entire life and is in turn shy and has a violent stutter. After various treatments by numerous doctors, Albert’s wife Elizabeth goes to Dr. Lionel Logue, an Australian who is not a real doctor, and asks for help for her husband. Dr. Logue’s methods are unique; he asks for complete equality with the soon-to-be-King and delves into His Majesty’s personal life. Their sessions begin with a rough start; the Prince does not appreciate how Dr. Logue calls him ‘Bertie’ and that he insists the Prince calls him Lionel. However, over time the Prince’s speeches become more confident and Lionel and Bertie become strong friends.

The best thing about this story is it is closely based off the real story of King George VI. The current Queen, Elizabeth II, who is the daughter of King George VI, reportedly found the movie “moving” and appreciated Firth’s portrayal of her father.

This movie has an inspiring plot and an awesome cast. Audiences will recognize Colin Firth from What a Girl Wants and Pride and Prejudice, Geoffrey Rush from Pirates of the Carribean and Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi and Timothy Spall from Harry Potter, just to name a few.