--- title: "The King's Speech: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-kings-speech/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-kings-speech" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The King's Speech (2010): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find The King’s Speech an affecting, witty historical drama, with praise centred on Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s uneasy friendship. Firth’s portrayal of the king’s speech difficulties earns particular admiration for its physical demands and emotional restraint, while Helena Bonham Carter’s support also draws approval. The reviews credit David Seidler’s script with keeping the period material lively and Tom Hooper with giving the personal relationship enough space to hold attention. The disagreement concerns how much reassurance the story can bear. Supporters acknowledge familiar plotting and calculated crowd-pleasing touches without finding them fatal. The dissent is sharper: Slant Magazine finds the psychology simplistic and the uplift contrived, while Eye for Film sees too little darkness or dramatic tension. The New York Times also objects to the sweetness and benign treatment of monarchy. Performances command broad agreement; the film’s politeness produces a much wider spread of opinion. ## Film Comment — Scott Foundas Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls Hooper’s period drama splendid and praises its focus on how radio transformed politics and public life. Firth and Rush deliver ideal performances balancing flourish and restraint. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-kings-speech/) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 January 2011. Thanks to Seidler, Hooper and especially the leads, the film is an enlightening, entertaining, heartfelt and surprisingly funny crowd-pleaser focused on intimate character relationships. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-kings-speech-2) ## The AV Club — Tasha Robinson Rating B+. 26 November 2010. The critic finds the film a respectably solemn yet crowd-pleasing historical drama that hits the right awards-bait marks with handsome detail and a riveting central performance from Colin Firth. It crackles with discomfort and relief in the central friendship while remaining a pleasure to watch despite its calculated trappings. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-kings-speech-1798166633) ## Little White Lies — Matt Bochenski Rating 3/4/4. It is not just one of the most entertaining British films in years, but one of the most intriguing too. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-kings-speech) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 4/5. This marvellously moving tale features an impressive Colin Firth as the stammering king, with deft direction capturing his limbo amid abdication and war, and strong support from Bonham Carter and Rush. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gw1uvx/the-kings-speech/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2011. The critic praises the film as a richly enjoyable true-life drama about King George VI's stammer and his relationship with his speech therapist. Firth, Rush and Bonham Carter deliver strong performances in this witty, absorbing anti-Pygmalion story. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jan/06/the-kings-speech-review) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2010. The critic views the film as a decorous bit of middlebrow mush with a cute, complication-free portrait that strains for significance but delivers only high-minded sitcom uplift through simplistic psychologizing and contrived narrative turns. Firth's performance stands out amid the surface classiness. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-kings-speech/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan 29 November 2010. The film is an honest-to-goodness crowdpleaser about the unlikely friendship between the stammering future king and his unconventional Australian speech therapist. It singles out David Seidler’s witty, insightful script and Colin Firth’s nuanced, physically demanding performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/king-speech-review/) ## Evening Standard — Tom Teodorczuk 10 April 2012. Festival review. A crowd-pleasing dramatic comedy that justifies the Oscar hype with polished British acting and production values. It singles out Colin Firth’s finest performance yet as the stammering George VI for conveying inner pain and making the royal feel anything but entitled. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/bfi-london-film-festival-review-the-king-s-speech-7422171.html) ## IndieWire — Tim Appelo 5 September 2010. Festival review. The review positions the film as a strong Oscar contender following its Telluride premiere, praising its crowd-pleasing qualities and performances. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/telluride-review-the-kings-speech-heads-for-oscars-238468/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 26 November 2010. The critic highlights the memorable pairing of Firth and Rush as the film's greatest strength in bringing a true story to life. Hooper is praised for his storytelling skill that embraces popular material with intelligence and pace. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-kings-speech-20101126,0,4898019.story) ## Sight and Sound — Philip Kemp The film neatly balances reverence for royalty with mischievous exposure of its absurdities. Firth and Rush deliver diverting performances as the odd-couple leads. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/5872) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt 14 October 2010. The critic calls it a riveting, intimate account of how a British king triumphed over a speech impediment with the help of an unorthodox speech coach. Colin Firth delivers a mesmerizing central performance as the man who became King George VI. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/kings-speech-film-review-29939/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 21 November 2010. The review notes that the film aims to make viewers care deeply about a monarch's speech impediment and succeeds through the central performances. Firth and Rush are singled out for excelling in their roles amid the period reassurance of the story. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/29/command-performances) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 26 November 2010. The critic finds the film a generally diverting buddy story about opposites that comes with too much sugar. Firth and Rush are praised for their appealing performances, while the director is faulted for a benign view of the monarchy and overuse of a fisheye lens. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/movies/26king.html) ## Total Film — Philip Kemp 29 December 2010. A true story told with grace, good humour and heart, the film turns a potentially stuffy period piece into well-oiled entertainment through its crisp script and strong production values. It especially praises Colin Firth’s tour-de-force lead performance juggling anguish, dignity and comic swearing. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-king-s-speech-review/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 4 September 2010. Festival review. The review describes a stirring tale of unlikely friendship that humanizes the future king through unconventional therapy and strong performances. Firth is singled out for the demanding speech scenes, with the director commended for focusing on the bond between the leads. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/the-king-s-speech-1117943430/) ## Collider — Scott Wampler Rating B+. 19 May 2011. The film is enormously successful, extremely charming, and beautifully made, with strong performances from Firth, Rush, and others, plus excellent sets, costumes, and a razor-sharp script that is funnier than expected. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-kings-speech-blu-ray-review/) ## Den of Geek — Michael Leader Rating 4/5. 7 January 2011. The review finds the film a polished, affecting character drama with stellar performances, especially Firth’s vulnerable portrayal. Subtle stylistic touches and strong scripting elevate the familiar themes of friendship and overcoming disability. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-kings-speech-review/) ## Paste — Josh Jackson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2010. Colin Firth's portrayal of the stuttering king is believable due to its emotional resonance, and the interplay between Firth, Rush, and Bonham Carter makes the film a joy despite a simple climax. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-kings-speech-review) ## Eye for Film — James Benefield Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2010. Festival review. The critic finds the film both funnier and more polite than expected, with strong performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush driving the central friendship and humor. However, it lacks edge, darkness, and dramatic tension, rendering the triumph-over-adversity story overly inoffensive and questionable. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-kings-speech-film-review-by-james-benefield) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-kings-speech.md