10 Movies That Seriously Don't Deserve Their Critical Acclaim

6. The King's Speech

If you want to make sure the critics lap up the latest ode to the monarchy and ensure the sympathy of audiences, playing on the central royal's speech impediment is as good a tactic as any - and it worked. Critic after critic described The King's Speech as "inspiring", "intimate", "uplifting" and other assorted platitudes, while few took the time to question the authenticity of the events depicted. The King's Speech tells the story of King George VI's (Colin Firth) battle to overcome a speech impediment with the help of a therapist (Geoffrey Rush). As fine as this personal story is, the political backdrop concerning the rise of fascism completely avoids the elephant in the room: Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) - presented as little more than a bit of a fool he was in fact an ardent admirer of Hitler and fascism, a central point which, had it been included would have added considerable weight to the movie. The most often-cited scene in The King's Speech comes when George's therapist encourages him to swear profusely, which some would say controversially led to the film being granted an R rating. A far braver - and more challenging - move would have been to openly discuss the British establishment's dalliance with fascism.