The King's Speech
The King's Speech Image
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Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 41 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 526 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
  • Summary: Based on the true story of the Queen of England's father and his remarkable friendship with maverick Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. "The King's Speech" stars Academy Award nominee Colin Firth as King George VI, who unexpectedly becomes King when his brother Edward abdicates the throne. Academy Award Winner Geoffrey Rush stars as Logue, the man who helps the King find a voice with which to lead the nation into war. (The Weinstein Company)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    Dec 24, 2010
    100
    It's a fine, absorbing work, built with brilliance and without excessive showiness or flash. It feels, in fact, like a classic virtually upon its arrival.
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    Dec 24, 2010
    100
    Tom Hooper's terrific, Oscar-worthy film is not merely a spot-on period piece; it's also a heartfelt study in the shadings of courage, a film about duty and friendship that's often warmly funny and sometimes painful to watch.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    Dec 11, 2010
    80
    A well-wrought, enjoyably amusing inspirational drama that successfully humanizes, even as it pokes fun at, the House of Windsor.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Dec 11, 2010
    60
    Firth is exceptional in letting us into his dissolving pride.

See all 41 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 131 out of 144
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 144
  3. Negative: 8 out of 144
  1. fletcher
    10
    Two acting titans: Rush and Firth; every mature character actor in the UK; Helena!; the Brits do it again. The film was a delight to watch and the viewer is given a wonderful reprieve from the simplistic, the empty,the 3D onslaught!… Expand
  2. grandpajoe6191
    8
    The movie is rich and profound with top notch cinematography, with powerful acting by Collin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The best picture winner was certainly chosen. However, I was disappointed to see the Brit king having no real plot twists or obstacles that could have transformed the movie into a engaging one.… Expand
  3. Swati
    7
    One watches movies to be entertained. Apart from a few heart wrenching scenes in which the lead is stuck in a stutter and embarrasses himself, the movie was a drag and got really boring, except for an occasional funny line here and there. The editing is the real culprit here. The audience has been attuned to fast paced dramas and anything slowing the narrative has no place in modern film and literature. If a movie is this long, it should offer more than just some scenes about a person practicing his lines for a speech, which would have been understood with just a few scenes, for we're not stupid. Back story and character development for the main character was lacking. If they were hellbent to stick to just showing the king stutter over and over, and offer no explanations and character depth, the length could have been cut a lot. True Grit, The Social Network and Inception were better movies, and every one of them deserved Best Picture more than this one.… Expand
  4. csw12
    4
    The King's Speech has its moments like the powerful ending but the movie is in low gear until the last 15 mintues. yawning is something you won't escape from in this film and that is were the movie goes wrong.… Expand

See all 144 User Reviews

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