The King's Speech

A film for which I didn't mind the expected plot development, the touching ending, and the overall almost violent "you're watching an Oscar movie, so a bit of respect bloody hell" vibe. Firth is divine, Carter is divine, Rush is divine, the cinematography is divine (pleasing even for a conversational film, imaginative use of steadycam), the script is divine, the ending is exactly as it should be, and the heaps of euphemisms that make up the English upper class vocabulary are hilarious without even needing to be pointed out. I'd still be more in favor of Oscars for Black Swan, though, because my sensibilities have always been closer to films that aren't afraid to experiment. (03/09/2011)

The King’s Speech is distinguished by its wonderful camerawork and set designs (the walk through a foggy park with conical trees is an aesthetic orgasm), brilliant actors, handicapped main character (with a heartbreaking crying scene), a loving wife, and when things come to the worst, a sudden sense of urgency brought on by Hitler's coming to power. The film has the pure soul of Rain Man placed in noble English setting in the style of Merchant-Ivory productions, or another certain way to get an Oscar, though this time it is truly kind and sincere. But let’s not be sentimental – Tom Hooper “only” perfectly utilized everything he had been taught at film school and what he learned both in Hollywood and England, and he did not bring any unique artist’s imprint into his work or push filmmaking forward. That’s why during the Academy Awards, I kept my fingers crossed for the more special, bolder and progressive artists Fincher and Aronofsky. (03/08/2011)

Serious themes of an interesting era in the chronicle of humanity, the beauty of Victorian England (exteriors/interiors, aesthetics), and a lead cast of two. These are the three main assets in this formally meticulously done film, which lacks pull and a good dose of emotion. The sparkle is not enough. If Tom Hooper wasn't just a good craftsman, but a progressive innovator who could put his own distinctive spin on things (and there was a ton of room for that here), this would be downright great. Academics have lost their minds over something that isn’t nearly that great. (10/30/2015)

It can start subtly and escalate very gradually, but King's Speech deeply touched me and when it comes to admiration for acting performances, it literally surpassed them. And just like the main character is a timid speaker and a future famous ruler, the movie is on one hand a sweet little film and on the other a spectacle that almost everyone can love and celebrate. (02/06/2011)

The Unbearable Lightness of Royal Being, or the first film that allowed me to understand the power and meaning of the monarchy. Tom Hooper may be accused of "academic coldness" by some sensitive folk, but in my opinion, he directs in an economical style that allows the actors' charisma to shine through, placing The King's Speech amongst the ranks of engagingly chatty films like Howard's Frost/Nixon or Fincher's The Social Network. (01/23/2011)