The King’s Speech: Highly specific observations on the Oscar-winning royalty movie.

By Danielle Herman.

The King’s Speech revolves around King George VI’s ascension to the throne. But before he’s a monarch, he’s Bertie (Colin Firth) — a shy family man with a speech impediment.

When it becomes clear that, as a king in the radio age, he’ll have to do a lot of public speaking, he employs the help of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an unconventional speech therapist with whom he slowly fosters a lasting friendship.  

1. Hope you don’t like surprises.

I don’t want to go all Anthony Lane on you, but I think I can say this without giving away the whole movie: if you expect something to happen in The King’s Speech, it’ll probably happen. You’ll feel like a seer — that’s how predictable this movie is. Of course, its plot is based on fact, so you should have some degree of certainty as to what happens. But apart from that, the movie hits all its cinematic formulas with mathematical precision. The sooner you accept it, the more you’ll enjoy the experience.

2. You’re either bored by British monarchy, or you’re not.

Recently, Anglophiles have had an array of regal entertainment to choose from, from the Peaky Blinders to The Crown. Ultimately, though, the trials and tribulations of a stuffy, foreign, and waning institution aren’t for everybody. This movie will be as bland as British food if you’re not a fan of royal costume dramas.

3. “Stop trying to be so bloody clever!”

A frustrated Bertie shouts this at Logue during one of their sessions, and I don’t blame him. Yes, I’ve heard that the two had an affable friendship, and I’m sure that they were fairly intelligent and funny people. But too often, the movie turns their relationship into a comedy routine, all about trading witty barbs when they should be busy working on, you know, the King’s speech.

4. That’s Winston Churchill?

Timothy Spall? The guy who was, like, a magical rat in the Harry Potter movies? No. No, no, no. To make things worse, Spall doesn’t really play Churchill but impersonates him, in an over-the-top manner that distracts viewers from the matters at hand.

5. Ignore all the Shakespeare references.

Conveniently, Logue happens to be a Shakespeare enthusiast. This allows the Australian to regularly pepper the movie with Shakespearean allusions, inviting us to read into them. Don’t. He auditions for the titular role in Richard III, the history play in which a physically abnormal Richard feuds with his brother in order to become king. That’s half-relevant, except that Richard was murderous. And even if Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy hasn’t turned into literary wallpaper to you yet, it’s best not to waste time analysing Bertie’s recital of it.