Release Year: 2010

Genre: Biography, Drama

Director: Tom Hooper

Writer: David Seidler

Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

This movie was destined to be a smash hit. After all, it brings together all the greatest dramatic elements: a world war, a reluctant king, and a speech impediment.

Wait, what was that last one?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: The King's Speech is the preeminent movie about stuttering and speech therapy. Does that sound like a boring slog, or something that would have you nodding off into your bucket of extra buttery popcorn?

But The King's Speech is a movie about stuttering in the way that, say, Good Will Hunting is a movie about petty crime, or Cast Away is a movie about tropical islands, or The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about the legal system. Basically, the King's speech (impediment) is a challenge to be overcome… much like a life of petty crime for Will Hunting, a claustrophobic tropical key for Chuck Noland, or false imprisonment for Andy Dufresne.

Except for once crucial difference: King George VI is the King of England at the dawn of WWII, and his voice and inspirational speeches can spell the difference between high morale and a complete lack of faith in fighting for England against the Nazis. 

To paraphrase Will Hunting, "How do you like them high stakes?"

So ol' George (or Bertie to his friends) seeks the advice of Lionel Logue, a lovable weirdo who helps him erode his stuttering problem even as the biggest conflict of the 20th century is kicking into high gear.

This isn't your grandma's historical movie, either. (Even though your grandma probably thinks Colin Firth is dreamy.) Instead of creating a sweeping epic in glorious Technicolor, director Tom Hooper created a movie about the tortured psychology of one of the most famous men of the 20th century. It takes place mostly in the musty garret of an underemployed speech therapist...not in grand ballrooms. It's darkly lit...not filled with lush period piece panoramas. In short, it's a totally surprising take on a pretty established genre.

What The King's Speech does to historical drama is as out-of-left-field as a rom-com set in the Pentagon or a sci-fi epic set in Urban Outfitters.

But, hey, Tom Hooper's bizarre, intimate vision worked. This movie swept the 2011 Academy Awards, nabbing not only the Best Picture statuette but also little gold men for Colin Firth, Tom Hooper, and screenwriter David Seidler.

Oh, and the best part? This story of perseverance, kingly duty, fast friendship and the threat of the Nazis is based on a 100% true story. Although the film took a few liberties with the subject matter (speech therapist Logue probably never had the cojones to sit on St. Edward's Chair, for example), the story is basically lifted straight from the history books. 

So yeah, hold tight to those clichés about truth being stranger than fiction.

We're going to take a stab at being a fortuneteller: when we look within the swirling depths of our crystal ball, we see into your innermost soul. And what do we see? Crippling insecurity.

No, we're not actually psychics. And we're not being mean, either. We're just giving you one of the fundamental truths about humanity: whoever you are—prince or pauper, Kylie Jenner or a girl who thinks she might as well be invisible—you feel insecure. That's just the way it is. (At least until you become a senior citizen: those Early Bird Special eaters seem to have an abundance of self-confidence.)

But that's the beauty of The King's Speech: it deals with that brutal life truth.

The King of England is just as insecure as the rest of us. It's not always good to be king. It requires more than just lookin' good in a fancy hat—in King George VI's case, you have to give speeches that rally an entire nation/empire against the threat of Nazi world domination. And when you're stuck with a stutter as a result on childhood trauma, making it through those speeches sounds more insurmountable than Mt. Everest.

Don't be fooled: The King's Speech isn't a feel good, saccharine movie. This is, after all, based on a completely true story. We don't see King George miraculously cured through The Power Of Hard Work or The Magic Of Friendship. We see him sweat, get angry, swear more than a sailor on shore leave, give up, get back in the speech therapy saddle, and swear some more. In short: we see him work.

We're not usually ones for spoilers, but we're going to give something away here: George isn't ever actually cured of his stutter. Instead, he learns to give speeches through his stutter. And the result is more inspirational than any thousand "Hang In There" posters: the for-real King George VI gave dozens of for-real speeches during for-real WWII… and he was beloved for it, occasional stutter and all.

Oh yeah—and King George entered into a lifelong friendship with his speech therapist. Yeah: a king (and his wife, the dang queen) became best buds with a lower-class nobody because that selfsame nobody lent the king a friendly ear—along with some elocution lessons—at a time when nobody else would.

So do yourself a favor. The next time you're feeling alone in the vast universe of your own insecurity, wrap yourself in a blanket and watch The King's Speech. We guarantee it: after you're done watching, you'll want to go out do whatever you thought you couldn't manage before. Learn German. Write a novel. Take a chance on love. Wear a crop top. Buzz your head.

Because if King George can overcome four decades of self-loathing and make a rousing wartime speech, you can do anything. (Except fly. You can't fly. Don't try it.)