Poor Bertie had it rough. As a child, he was forced to write with his right hand even though he was naturally left-handed. He kept having stomach problems and even had bent legs that needed to be painfully corrected. He never had friends and was prone to bullying from his father and older brother for much of his childhood. But worst of all was his stammer – a crippling problem that prevented him from pronouncing even the smallest of sentences. All he ever wanted was to be a normal person but sadly, that wasn’t going to happen. You see, to the rest of the world, shy and reserved Bertie was known as Prince Albert or His Royal Highness, the Duke of York –the man who would reluctantly become King George VI of England and lead England into World War 2. But how do you come off as a galvanizing and inspiring leader against a tyrannical evil empire of hate when you can’t even pronounce your vowels?

“The King’s Speech” is the true but little known story of Prince Albert a.k.a. Bertie and his friendship with Lionel Logue, a quirky and charismatic Australian speech therapist who worked with the Prince from 1925 and through World War 2 to transform him from a shy and stuttering man into a dynamic leader that the world could look up to. This premise may sound boring on paper (I mean, it’s a movie about a guy learning to overcome his stuttering!) but in the able hands of director Tom Hooper (“The Damned United,” "John Adams”) and magnificent performances of actors Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, it is framed into one of the most buoyant and moving movies of 2010.

Hooper’s drama opens at the British Empire Exhibition in 1925 where Bertie/Prince Albert (Firth) is summoned to deliver the closing address at said exhibition. Accompanying him is his wife Elizabeth (Bonham Carter) who is there as his guide and confidant as he nervously prepares to make his speech in front of an audience of thousands and even more on the radio. But his speech turns into a catastrophic symphony of stammering. Being shot and killed would have been a better alternative than listening to this poor sap deliver an address.

Realizing the gravitas of the situation, Elizabeth seeks the help of a multitude of “esteemed” speech therapist but none of prove even the tiny bit helpful until she learns of Lionel Logue (Rush), a quirky Australian speech therapist who harbors a passion for acting. Logue, a peculiar fellow who has become renowned for his “controversial” practices, insists on working out of his office and addressing the Prince not by his royal title but by his nickname: Bertie. He does this because among other things, he doesn’t care about royalty, and because he believes that in order to succeed, he must first be treated as an equal. After a tumultuous beginning, Bertie slowly comes to accept Logue and his odd therapy methods (which include cursing and bizarre mouth exercises) and eventually even opens up to Logue as his friend. But after a scandal involving Bertie’s older brother Prince Edward (Guy Pearce) leads to Edward abdicating the crown, Bertie reluctantly ascends to the throne on the eve of World War 2 and is faced with making an all important wartime speech to the nation.

Though “The King’s Speech” is the definition of prestige drama (read: Oscar bait), Hooper doesn’t direct it as one. Instead he constructs the film more like an inspirational sports drama in the vein of “Rocky” than anything else. Some could even argue that it’s a bromance like “The Shawshank Redemption” where two different guys from quite distant backgrounds meet and learn to accept each other over a period of years. Like “Rocky,” “The King’s Speech” culminates in a dramatically powerful sequence (the titular speech) that’ll keep audiences on their toes as if they’re watching a boxing match and like the last scene in “The Shawshank Redemption,” this drama ends on a note that’ll have you smiling as you exit the theater.

The beauty of “The King’s Speech” lies in the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush and how the two play opposite each other. Firth, who has lent his talents for more than 20 years as a character actor in everything from Oscar-winning dramas like “Shakespeare in Love” and “The English Patient” to mainstream fare such as “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “Love Actually,” perfectly conveys the Prince’s bitter and heartbreaking struggle with his debilitating condition while also embodying his stiff royal upbringing. As Bertie, Firth speaks with a higher pitch and pronounces his stutters with such veracity that you could be forgiven for thinking he really did suffer from the impediment. It’s an utterly moving and magnificent performance that even tops his incredible Oscar-nominated work in last year’s “A Single Man.” It would be a shame if he is denied the Best Actor Oscar.

Rush, is also brilliant as the charming and witty Logue whose disregard for the royal family and their customs is one of the film’s recurring jokes. This is perhaps Rush’s best cinematic work after his Oscar-winning performance in “Shine.” Bonham Carter who also appeared in two of the year’s biggest blockbusters (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”) is wonderful as the woman who most of us had known as the Queen Mother and like Firth and Rush, will find herself in awards consideration.

BOTTOM LINE: “The King’s Speech” is a phenomenally acted and wonderfully directed film about a very little-known story of one of the most famous monarchs of the 20th century. With a captivating performance from Colin Firth’s as King George VI and a terrific supporting turn by Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech” is never boring, always interesting and definitely one of the most enjoyable movie-going experiences you’ll have this year. I highly recommend it.

GRADE: A

THE KING'S SPEECH

Directed by: Tom Hooper

Written by: David Seidler

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce

Rated: R (for some language)*

*This is a ridiculous rating. Barring one scene where Bertie curses, there’s nothing R about it. At worst, this is a PG rated film.