Stammering as an Art Form

The King's Speech

Shall we say wonderful? Enlightening? Marvelous? Entertaining? Engaging?

Or should I just say "Grab a date and head for the theater?"

Truly one of the most interesting and entertaining movies I've seen in a good long while.

Though I'm not a historian*, I found this whole show beyond fascinating. I always find the story more engaging when there is an actual PERSON behind the character.** And when I got a glimpse into the Queen's family tree, a rare treat to be sure, it just sent the story off the charts for me.

Without ruining the plot, I was rooting for the lead character from the get-go. It didn't hurt that adorable Colin Firth was playing King George VI.*** I've liked him since he stood opposite Renee Zellweger in the "Bridget Jones" series of movies and showed up in the first "Nanny McPhee". Sadly, I've largely ignored his body of work (which is mighty) since then. BIG MISTAKE. Shortly, I'll be inundating my queue on Netflix with movies he's been in for the last five years or so.***

If the audience reaction is any indication of a good movie, this one is good. Many in the theater clapped at the end, after the post-scripts about how this one man led a country through some very difficult times that, frankly, had they been handled differently, could have altered the face of the entire world.

It really is, in the end, a story of good triumphing over evil. Of one man overcoming an upbringing that was less than supportive and loving and leading an entire nation through a time of unspeakable evil.

Go see it. No doubt, it will be award nominated come Oscar time.

And won't it be fun to root for a movie that not only entertains, but also demonstrates that man can do just about anything he sets his mind to?



*Or a geographer or chemist or fill-in-the-blank with weak areas of my intellect.

**Which explains why I love "The Blind Side" so stinking much. And, yes. I cry every single time they show the draft scene and pictures of the "real" family...and multiple times throughout the movie, even though I know what's coming.

***Kind of like I did when I realized Christian Bale was blazing hot and had made several movies prior to "Batman".

Now, not so impressed with Mr. Bale. Sadly, his "real" life has become much too publicized and I just completely dislike it when actors become too human, either through personal trials or political rants. I want them to remain a neutral canvas, off of which a variety of characters can bounce, without me seeing "wife beater" or "flaming PETA protester" every time I look at the screen with them on it.

All that said, I WILL pony up the coin to go see "The Fighter". Still love me a little Marky Mark AND I'm interested to see what all the buzz is about.