Saturday Seething (part 13 of a 444 part series)

Oscar Edition:

 

It seems to me that a film must be rated R in order to get Oscar attention. I realize there are many exceptions to this in recent history (ie: Lord of the Rings, Avatar) but in general, the films that get the “Buzz” are typically rated R.

So that brings me to my weekly rant- I believe The King’s Speech was given the rating of R just to get Oscar attention b/c it DID NOT NEED such a harsh rating. Yes, there are 2 brief scenes of “strong” language but they are actually more comic relief than anything else.* The language is not offensive, nor are the scenes oppressive. If you take out the few words, the film is basically PG (not even PG-13). There is no sex. There is no violence. The King’s Speech is proof that those elements are not required in order to have a film considered “Best”- yet it is R.* The reason I am upset with this fact it that I do not watch movies that are rated R. I think by giving it such a hard rating, it eliminates a large potential viewing public and this is a fantastic film that I believe everyone should see.  I really wrestled with myself about going to see this movie and I am so glad I saw it.

There are no special effects, no one gets blown up, no nudity is required, and you actually root for the characters from the very beginning. It is simply amazing storytelling which I think Oscar should praise even the film wasn’t rated R.

 

The scene that sealed the deal for my voting for Colin Firth as Best Actor is after Bertie’s father’s death (King George V) when he opens up to Lionel, his speech therapist (played by Geoffrey Rush), and tells him of his childhood and when he developed his stammer all while Bertie is putting together a model air plane. In a previous scene, Lionel encourages Bertie to sing the words when he is trying to communicate difficult subject matter, and when Colin Firth sings-songs the words about how Bertie was treated by his nanny, my heart broke. It was simple, it was powerful, it was phenomenal.

 

 

* The scenes have a similar feel of Chevy Chase’s rant about his boss in “Christmas Vacation” or Steve Martin’s meltdown over a rental car in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”

 

* The rating of R is given for any film that uses the F-word more than once, no exceptions. I think our rating system needs to be changed. I’d much rather hear the F-word 3 times than see nudity, sex or graphic violence (I hear worse language walking down the street in Salt Lake City). R rating is much more broad than all the other ratings and I think that should change. The King’s Speech is a very soft R- I would give it a rating of PG-18, maybe not right for kids and teens to see, but very much appropriate for adults.