MANILA, Philippines — It's hard to disregard a film like “The King’s Speech” since it has been receiving awards left and right.

Its lead star, Colin Firth, won Best Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama in this year’s Golden Globes.

The film won seven trophies out of its 14 nominations in the British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, among others.

Nominated for twelve Academy Awards this year (which airs today in the Philippines), more than any other film, “The King’s Speech” is touted as one of the films to beat.

However, competition is tough this year with films such as “The Social Network”, “Inception”, “True Grit”,and “Black Swan”, which are also critics’ favorites.

The King and his therapist
Directed by English director Tom Hooper, the story is set in the time of the Great Depression. Colin Firth plays the role of King George VI of the United Kingdom, who struggled to overcome his speech disorder — stuttering.

The film starts off with the Duke of York — George's title before becoming king — about to go to the stand to speak before thousands of people at the closing ceremony of the Empire Exhibition in Wembley, London. The duke fumbles in front of the huge satellite-like microphone while all eyes are on him.

During those hard times, kings must be good speakers because a king’s words are the people’s source of strength and hope. This is why his father, King George V, played by Michael Gambon, forces him to speak before crowds and over the radio, which he always fails at miserably.

The duke's wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Duchess of York, played by Helena Bonham Carter, was helping him overcome his stammer.

They spent years of going from one speech therapist to another just to cure the speech defect. Finally, she finds an unconventional yet highly recommended speech therapist, Lionel Logue, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush. Despite Logue’s unorthodox methods, he will eventually become the Duke's best and last therapist and a friend.

Even though George's brother, Edward (Guy Pearce), is set to succeed their father, it is the duke who people feel is the nobleman fit for the throne. When Edward assumes the throne and then abdicates because the government of the United Kingdom did not approve of his marrying American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), the crown was transferred to Albert, who was then named King George VI.

However, as the new king, he has to face a big challenge as his countryenters the war. At the same time, he has to face his greatest fear and broadcast a speech over the radio.

The king had to rely on his therapist, Logue, to help him with his speech at the beginning of World War II.

Lightness takes it
This is no ordinary historical film because it focuses on the unlikely union of two stubborn men and their pursuit to overcome a speech defect, rather than on stories of the war and the Depression happening during the period.

Firth gives an amazing portrayal, to the point that the audience might end up stammering as well. Geoffrey Rush as Logue is also convincing as a speech therapist who is also a family man and an aspiring actor.

Despite being set during the Great Depression and its accompanying dull atmosphere and look, the movie is surprisingly entertaining. For instance, the therapy sessions between Albert — or Bertie, as the family likes to call him — and Logue are great to watch. The physical exercises, where Bertie is rolled around the worn carpet or asked to recite a nursery rhyme while swinging both arms, make the treatment look like a military exercise rather than a therapy session.

At one point, the soon-to-be queen, Elizabeth, sat on Bertie’s stomach to help him exercise his breathing technique. There was also a scene where Bertie had to shout expletives as some sort of exercise, which is probably the reason why it got an R rating. And all this was done in the unkempt office — peeling wallpaper and all — of Logue.

Guy Pearce also came out with a good performance as Edward. His mocking of his brother’s stutter while getting champagne for the love of his life, Wallis, truly made him the big bad bully of Bertie.
Michael Gambon also impressed with his imposing stance as the king, scolding Bertie of his weakness.

A nice fact about this movie is that its writer, David Seidler who also suffered stuttering when he was young. He began reading about King George VI after overcoming his stammer, which also led to him writing a film about it. Before filming, they discovered Logue’s notebooks and quotations were actually incorporated in the film.

For a historical film, it captures the essence of the period but at the same time doesn’t deal with the heavy plots of period films. The film is effortless, simple, and entertaining enough to digest.