Countdown to the Oscars: Best Picture Nominees

This year's Oscar favorite appears to be "The King's Speech", directed by Tom Hooper. We've all heard the hype and many of us have circulated it on our own, but what "The King's Speech" offers to audiences is an expository look into the intricacies behind wearing the Crown and a becoming the Crown.

The film follows King George VI, portrayed by the remarkable Colin Firth, in his struggle to overcome a crippling stammer. The audience first meets Firth as Prince Albert Duke of York, but following the decline of his father's health and eventual death, Firth inherits the crown and must discover the strength to become more than a man with power; he must become a leader. 

King George VI's wife, Queen Elizabeth, pushes him to attack his stammer with dignity and pride rather than resentment, and consults him to an unorthodox speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush.

The true power behind the film is derived from the therapist's ability to dismantle the holy connotations of a King. The King's stammer is so severe that he has lost the ability to wield or govern with any semblance of authority, and the idea of leading a nation into World War II seems out of his reach. But the movie's touching and often endearing relationship between the King and his speech therapist showcases how a man can overcome any obstacle. The on screen relationship between the two is often funny, sometimes uncomfortable, but always a pleasure to watch.

"The King's Speech" is an extraordinary film for its ability to investigate the affliction of a person with power and public weakness. The film succeeds because it showcases a dynamic relationship between a man's public and personal life: on one hand, King George VI must give up the grandiose connotations of a King in order to become a man, but on the other hand, he must overcome simply being a man with a crown, in the eyes of his people, in order to become the King and leader they deserve.

Tom Hooper has a strong and natural grip on this dynamic throughout the movie. He balances a light approach to the characters but never manages to remove the tension stemming from the respect of the Crown. In all accounts, the movie is never about a man with a stammer. "The King's Speech" is relatable to its audience despite their incredible  distance from power. The acting is savory and although Colin Firth has received the majority of praise, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter (Queen Elizabeth) offer an equally impressive display of theatric authority. 

"The King's Speech" collides a unique and transformational story with exceptional acting and directing, and for this it should receive tremendous consideration from Oscar judges.