The King's Speech (2010)

The Duke of York (Colin Firth) has a stuttering problem that has vexed him for years.  His dad, King George V (Michael Gambon), has been pressing him to make more public speeches.  The Duke's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), using an alias, enlists the services of a speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to help her husband.  Logue is nervous when he learns whom he's really dealing with, but his trepidation is soon replaced by a determination to help.

The Duke of York is not on board with Logue initially.  He thinks he's stuck with his stuttering.  But then King George V passes on, and the Duke's older brother Edward (Guy Pearce) is crowned king.  But Edward's plan to marry Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), an American divorcee, forces him to make a choice between duty and love.  Edward chooses Wallis, and the Duke of York becomes King George VI, a position he never thought he'd have.  In addition, World War II is looming on the horizon, and England needs a leader that will stand up to the threat -- and someone the people can stand behind.  It becomes more important that the new king know how to communicate effectively.

This is a warm story about two men who met out of need and slowly grew a lasting friendship out of the encounter.  I loved how Logue was firm but fair towards King George VI, who was used to living in a world where everyone bowed and scraped before him.  I also liked how Ms. Carter played Queen Elizabeth as a quietly strong woman who had her husband's best interest at heart.  Timothy Spall, who plays Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films, makes a good Winston Churchill in this film.