Perhaps there was just too much hype.

This was a nice little film with solid performances by Rush and Firth. Could have just as easily been a nice little play. (Just looked it up--was originally a BBC radio play).

The bigger context stuff were where the film stumbled. Why exactly was that dude doing a comical Churchill impression? Why was Churchill even in this movie? Did the king's ability to give a speech really save the Empire from Nazi Germany? Color me skeptical.

Some of the most interesting stuff (how exactly did the civil government force Edward off the throne) is glossed over.

Also, not a fan of the photography. Some nice lighting here and there but altogether far too many super-wide-angle lenses shoved up in actor's faces. Odd. And then there was that WTF high angle wide lens shot of the family packing.

Not really sure why this leaps out from the standard masterpiece theatre pack of Mrs. Brown, Tea With Mussolini, and other Judi Dench type vehicles.