Movies: The Iron Lady
Monday, February 13, 2012
Denis Thatcher (Jim Broadbent) raises his wife
Margaret's (Meryl Streep) arm in victory when she is
elected Prime Minister of Britain.
Photo: ©2011 The Weinstein Company
Like many other politicians — but more than most — Margaret Thatcher is a polarizing figure. People who have feelings about her at all tend to really like her or really dislike her. As I fall into the latter category, I was most hesitant to see Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, the Thatcher biopic. Well, I was wrong to hesitate.
The movie didn’t change my feelings about Thatcher but I am very happy I saw the performance. Streep, playing the former prime minister at various stages of her life, is wonderful. Even as a woman in her 80s (Thatcher is 86 today) she is transformative, wonderful.
Moving back and forth between the 1950s and today, The Iron Lady is a portrait of an important woman who, when her importance fades, is tolerated by her daughter (Olivia Colman) and ignored by her son, a character who never appears except as a very young child.
We see the courtship of Margaret and her beloved husband Denis (Jim Broadbent and, as the young Denis Thatcher, Harry Lloyd). That their love is deep is clearly shown. In fact, Dennis is Margaret’s true north and she continues to talk with him long after his death.
Phyllida Lloyd, who also directed Streep in in Mama Mia! is at the helm here. Whether it’s her direction or Abi Morgan’s script, the film is a slow-moving affair. But, despite the pace, it is interesting as a character study of the Thatchers.
If Streep wins the Academy Award — as she did the Golden Globe and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) it will be well-deserved, a great performance in a mediocre film.
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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