Oscar Roundup: The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) ***1/2

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Carter), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound

Story: Historical drama about the early days of King George VI's (Firth) ascencion to the throne and his friendship with the speech therapist (Rush) that helped him overcome a stuttering problem.

Review: It's certainly no surprise that The King's Speech has garnered so much attention by both the public and the Academy. It is an uplifting, feel good story without any attempt to dumb it down for mass audiences. It's also exquisitely made, with top notch production values and careful craftsmanship from director Tom Hooper. It tells a great historical story and is headlined by a dream cast (Firth, Rush, Carter can always be counted on). A film containing such qualities will always be heavily praised and be a strong contender during awards season. But what I really love about this film is the great sense of humor running through it. This is no dry British history lesson. Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler do a great job of humanizing the characters and making this a pretty lively story . Geoffrey Rush has never been more likeable. Colin Firth is able to show both tremendous charisma and vulnerability in a delicate balancing act of a performance. The film may have truncated history or outrighted distorted it in many parts, but on its own merits remains a solidly entertaining drama made with superb precision.

Oscar Outlook: It is going to be a royal night at the Oscars as The King's Speech is going to win very many awards. The most likely is Colin Firth for Lead Actor. It is the biggest, most assured lock since Heath Ledger's 2007 win for The Dark Knight. Best Picture and Best Director wins also seems like sure bets since the film has swept the major guild awards (PGA, DGA, SAG) and I also expect it to compete strongly in many of the technical categories, although losing a few of them to Inception.

Trivia: Firth joins Jeff Bridges as repeat Lead Actor nominees from 2009. This is Rush's 4th nomination. Jennifer Ehle, who plays Geoffrey Rush's wife in the film, previously co-starred with Colin Firth in the popular BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.