The King's Speech (2010)

Nobody gets shot, nothing explodes, and the whole climax is a man talking into a microphone. Somehow your palms still sweat. The catch: it’s polished, safe filmmaking. It hits every beat you’d guess from the poster, and the soft piano tells you how to feel before the actors get the chance. But Colin Firth plays Bertie’s stammer with real pain and zero gimmicks, and the anger underneath it is what makes the role work. Geoffrey Rush is the perfect pushy coach, a guy with no royal manners and every right instinct. They’re a buddy comedy where one buddy might end up king. The therapy session where Lionel gets him to blurt out every rude word he knows is the funniest scene in the film, and the reason a royal drama is rated R. It made $414.2 million worldwide on a reported $15 million budget. An 8.3 because the acting is top tier and the movie around it plays things safe. $108 says you rehearse your next big presentation out loud, alone, like a king in a tiny booth.

What works: Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, whose prickly friendship turns speech lessons into a great two-hander.

What doesn’t: It’s polished, safe filmmaking that hits every expected beat, so the story itself rarely surprises you.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever dreaded talking in front of a crowd, and fans of great acting duets.