The Iron Lady: Review

The Iron Lady can almost be seen as requiring two separate reviews. The film tells the tale of the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep; Mama Mia!, Julie & Julia), from grocers shop owner’s daughter to Prime Minister. Her story is told through a series of flashbacks as experienced by a present day Thatcher, suffering from dementia. Therefore there is a clear split in the film between the experiences of her political life and her current struggle with mental illness. Meryl Streep as Thatcher provides a spectacular performance. While not exactly the obvious choice to play such a controversial and well known figure, Streep throws herself into the roll and embodies Thatcher incredibly. However, the strength of her performance cannot save the film from being problematic. The flashback sequences, where we are told of her rise through politics, are genuinely interesting and compelling. Including impressive performances from Alexandra Roach as a young Thatcher, I found myself wishing that this constituted the entirety of the film. Sadly, the present day scenes with Thatcher struggling with flashbacks and the grief of losing her husband Dennis (Jim Broadbent) do not reach the same high standard. These scenes feel as though they are from a different film altogether and consequently The Iron Lady feels somewhat diluted as a consequence. A greater attention to Thatcher’s political life would have enabled greater focus, for instance on the Falklands War. As it is, this film is let down by the way it is told. An interesting subject matter and Streep’s virtuoso performance save it from failure, but it could have been drastically improved if it decided what story it wanted to tell.

3/5