“The King’s Speech” refers to the climax of the film, when King George VI is forced to deliver a speech to a large portion of the world. He has to tell everyone that his country is now at war with Germany, and that everything will be okay. Oh yes, he also has a problem speaking, having a stammering problem that he has just spent 90 minutes attempting to overcome.

There, I just gave away the majority of The King’s Speech. It’s okay though, because the title already did that, I just contextualized it for you. Now all there is to do is find out how well this speech goes, and what happens to the characters after he delivers it. And you’ll likely also want to look back on the last hour and a half of film that you just watched and think for a moment about what you’ve just seen.

That is to say that you’ll likely really enjoy yourself while watching it, and also come to appreciate it after it concludes. There aren’t really a lot of plot points that will surprise you, nor are there any that intend to do that. The story is single-minded in nature, and this simplicity helps the film hold the attention of its audience.

The majority of The King’s Speech centers on The Duke of York (Colin Firth), soon to be King attempting to deal with his stammering problem. It’s been an issue he’s had to deal with since around the age of 4, and it has recently been hampering him in his public engagements. His wife (Helena Bonham Carter) finds a speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who claims that he’ll be able to help the Duke.

This is what the majority of the film centers around–the Duke’s constant problems with his stammering, the therapist’s attempts to cure him–and there isn’t a whole lot else going on. Everything that occurs leads up to the final, climactic speech that is to be broadcast worldwide. So, yes, it is about a man overcoming an obstacle in his life, and that’s just about all the film is about.

Yes, there are some sub plots, but they generally don’t matter. The Duke has a brother, who is actually first to inherit the throne, but for reasons that I’ll leave as a surprise, ends up passing the job onto his younger brother. Lionely Louge also has children, who mock his failed acting career, something else that doesn’t actually end up being important.

In fact, everything that wasn’t focused on propelling and furthering along the main story can actually be ignored, because it holds no bearing on the finale. One could argue that these side points help develop the characters, but I didn’t see that. The characters do get significant development, I saw that, but it wasn’t at these moments.

No, when characters did change and show depth, it was during moments where they would have intimate interactions with one another. The dialogue exchanges and the actions that the characters perform say more about them than anything else, and are especially telling in moments that actually advance the plot.

The script is incredibly well-written and well performed by the actors. Most surprising about the film for me was how funny it ended up being. There was more genuine laughter in The King’s Speech than many other comedies I’ve seen, and I’m very grateful for that. While the plot was interesting, integrating humor into it kept my eyes transfixed upon the screen with even greater intent.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush both do an amazing job with their roles. I wonder how difficult it is to play a stammering politician, but Firth does a great job with the role. Rush seemingly makes things way too easy, both stealing every scene he’s in, while also somehow fitting in perfectly with the rest of the cast. He stands out and is noticeable, but also blends in. I’m still not quite sure how that works, but that’s what happens. Helena Bonham Carter also does a good job, but in a far smaller role, not actually appearing in the film all that much.

Despite not liking history much myself, films like this are incredibly enjoyable, because they focus on a single part in time, and don’t try to make me learn about the history behind it. They make you feel like you are there, in the time period they are set in, and draw you in. The story is simple, but captivating, the acting is great, and you will care for the characters by the end. The King’s Speech was really enjoyable, and most surprisingly, incredibly funny. It has made me re-think my top 10 films from 2010, and I’m glad it did that, as it means that I really enjoyed myself.