The King’s Speech has been the hit of the early Fall Fests – winning the Audience Prize at Toronto and a slew of positive reviews at Telluride. These fests are often launching pads for a big awards push and The Weinstein Co. seems poised to do exactly that. While a Best Picture nom might be within reach, it seems all but decided that both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush will receive acting noms (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively) and screenwriting, costume, and production design noms could hitch along as well.

If the film emerges as a front runner for Best Pic then count Director Tom Hooper in for a Best Director nom – quite a boon for a filmmaker better known for his TV work (HBO’s John Adams and Elizabeth I). Hooper’s previous feature attempt was last year’s The Damned United. While that film never quite connected with audiences, its real strength was in the relationship between the two main characters: a soccer coach and his assistant. Replace The Damned United‘s Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall with The King’s Speech‘s Firth and Rush and you find a very similar dynamic. Firth is excellent as the stammering King George VI, but it is Geoffrey Rush as the King’s speech therapist and confidant that steals the show. Helena Bonham Carter turns in an admirable performance as well as the King’s perfectly witty Queen. My only complaint is the film drifts a bit too far into the melodramatic at points. Thankfully, the strong performances and touching relationships are enough to right the ship. While it might not quite make my top 10 list, The King’s Speech should at least make everyone’s must-see list.