I, like a lot of people, saw THE KING’S SPEECH.  And while many will say they liked it, I have to hold myself back.  Because while I thought it was a well-made movie, I don’t think it’s a well-told story.  And here’s why (spoilers, naturally):

Geoffrey Rush’s character, Lionel Logue, convinces soon-to-be-King George (played by Colin Firth) to hire him in Act I by covering George’s ears with headphones and blaring music, allowing him to speak without a stutter.

Boom.  Problem solved.  Why is there a movie after that point?  The PROBLEM is SOLVED.

I held judgement for the rest of the film, though, assuming that the King would need to make a huge public speech in front of millions, and would have to conquer his disability in order to do it.

Nope.  Instead, George and Lionel hid out in a closet for the climax of the movie.  It was the two of them, alone in a room, just like they were at the beginning of the movie.  There was no reason that Lionel couldn’t have hooked up a record player and headphones, just like he did the first time, in order for George to flawlessly deliver his address to the nation.  And this, to me, undermined the entire conflict of the film, and therefore the story as well.

If the central problem of a movie is solved in Act I, there needs to be a reason the solution won’t work again in Act III.

Stepping away from THE KING’S SPEECH for a moment, let’s talk about other genres:

- If the kids use fairy dust to fly in Act I, it needs to wear off by Act III.
- If the gunslinger can shoot the hair off a fly in Act I, she needs to run out of bullets (or go blind) by Act III.
- If Superman is…well…Superman in Act I, he needs to get some Kryptonite strapped to him by Act III.

I know that the story is about George overcoming his disability and not a single speech, but with a simple change and some creative liberties (as I’m sure already exist in the movie), the problem is solved: by making THE KING’S SPEECH at the climax a public one, George would have had a reason to overcome his disability, thereby making the conflict one that lasts beyond the first act.