Rating: 9 out of 10, this is the kind of movie I usually avoid, an artsy British period film but my wife and daughter convinced me to go and see it. They were spot on in their assessment, I love this movie. It offers some real insight into a very interesting time in recent history, pre-WW2 England. Most history written about this time focuses on the story of the king who abdicated for love of an American divorcee. Those two do not come off well in this movie and that is probably a lot closer to the truth. The British royal family is always so closed mouth about their inner- dealings that not much was known outside of England about George VI, the guy who became king upon the abdication. This movie corrects that failure. There is an amazing amount of historical detail in this movie, the film makers took the time to get even the small things right which I always like. They also "get" the important role the classes play in British society; something I found kind of repugnant when I learned about it first hand in my youth after being a bit of an Anglophile beforehand. The fact that this king befriended a commoner and the disdain most of the upper class had for this was interesting. The quiet courage shown by both George and his wife was inspiring. Firth and Rush make a great team but this is very firmly Firth's film. He's a great actor but he truly takes it to another level here. You can see the intense internal struggle he undergoes while confronting his stammer. Carter is also very, very good and you can see why the Queen mother, whom she portrayed, was such a beloved figure in England. A great movie all around, it has everything - superb acting, great writing, and pace.
MVP: Firth as the courageous King George VI
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