But it was also pretty much exactly what I expected from the trailer. I think I may have let the praise pump my expectations up a bit much.

I thought Rush was excellent. His performances are usually a bit much for me. I thought he pulled it back at just the right times and nailed what could have easily been really over-the-top and unbearable performance.

Firth of course was excellent as well. The whole movie succeeds or fails on that stammer and he nailed it.

The one performance I didn't much care for was Guy Pearce. He was two steps away from being a cartoon character.

The direction was good for the most part, but Hooper occasionally got a little too cutesy with the framing. There was one shot of the Lougue family in their living room where they were positioned as if they were posing for a painting. Was this an homage to something?

A good movie with great performances. But aside from that I don't think it does much new with the 'overcoming personal odds' story. Seems like one of those movies primed for Best Picture only to be left completely out of the conversation in 5 years time.