Genre: Drama and Biopic
Runtime: 1 hr 51 min
Rating: R for some language
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce
Synopsis: George VI, also known as Bertie, reluctantly takes the throne of England when his brother, Edward, abdicates in 1936. The unprepared king turns to a radical speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help overcome his nervous stutter and the two forge a friendship.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, not only is it well done, but I had no idea about this part of British history. All in all I enjoyed this movie thoroughly.
It took me several hours of "chewing" on this movie to decided what "spiritual truth" it spoke to. I've often found, that movies based on true stories are either very easy to read Christianly or they are nearly impossible, there is no middle ground. This one was very much the same.
After much thought and replaying the movie in my mind I have come to the very distinct decision that the character of Lional Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is a Christ figure. From the very first moment that we meet Lionel, he tells you that he is unorthodox and that if he is going to accept you as a patient that you have to follow his rules. Bertie (Colin Firth) is at first reluctant. He's already seen a number of people for his stutter and not a single one has been helpful. But finally, he decides that he'll work with Lionel, but only on his terms. So the two begin to work together and moderate progress is made. However, there are often setbacks as George attempts to carry out his role as the Duke of York.
Finally, after the death of his father, King George V, Bertie begins to open up to Lionel about personal matters, and here we see him finally start to make some real progress. It isn't until Bertie accepts the friendship that has been growing, that he is finally able to fully trust Lionel and allow him to help.
And here is the moment that we see Lionel as a Christ figure. We are all born with an impediment - we call it sin. This impediment inevitably becomes a problem and we seek help. However, when we first seek help, we often want that help on our terms instead of on His, but like Lionel, Christ is willing to work with us where we are, waiting for us to make the choice to open up. When we finally do open up to him and allow him fully into our lives and into our trust, then the transformation begins.
WARNING: mild language. For those of you who are offended by cursing or any other form of vulgar language, be aware that this movie is rated R because of the language. About halfway through the movie, Lionel tells Bertie to curse in order to loosen up. From that point on there are a couple of scenes where Bertie's nerves are frayed and he curses in order to calm himself (sounds a bit like Turrets). Other than that, I would highly recommend this movie.
