155 - The King's Speech

    The younger son of the king has a strong stutter, and since public speaking is a big part of his duties, he tries a variety of speech therapists, before landing with an "unorthodox" one.  As his father dies, and his brother ascends to the throne, George VI realizes that he will likely have to take the throne.  Along with the throne comes duties of making speeches on the radio.
    I had a few reservations on my way to seeing this.  I had heard that it was very good.  And it is very good.  But I also had read some praise of it on Conservapedia.
    Of course, Andrew Schlafly made a bizarre jump.  There isn't much political about this movie.  If anything, the reluctance to go to war is made palpable.

    This is much more just a movie about two things.  The effect that an impediment can have on even the very rich and powerful, and the friendship between a man of royalty and a working-class Joe.  Both of these ideas are handled well.
    I did feel like something wasn't complete about the movie.  We never learn as much as we should about the psychological elements that contribute to the stutter.  There are several instances where they bring it up, but it doesn't get addressed as fully as it should be.  I suppose that just speaks to the privacy that George feels the need to maintain.
    There was one other scene that felt forced.  When Lionel is confronted over his lack of credentials, that wasn't earned.  It was never an issue before, and it isn't an issue afterward.  It simply existed to create a conflict at the appropriate moment in the story.

    Despite these complaints, it is a very engaging movie.

    And to tie back to what Conservapedia had to say about it, The Social Network was actually more interesting, and not because of the Facebook angle.  It was a more complex, and more flawed character that was being dealt with.