The Iron Lady

Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Susan Brown
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) recalls moments throughout her life and career.

Review:

Tim: The Iron Lady is a very interesting film- it's a lackluster, average movie that features one incredible performance. I can't remember the last time I was so impressed with an actor in a movie that I didn't care for all that much. Let's start with the positives- Meryl Streep in incredible in this film. I was rooting against her during the Academy Awards, and was disappointed when she won (I hadn't seen this film yet). After watching her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher through various years of her life, I'm pretty stunned by her performance. She is absolutely believable as Thatcher in the early years, as well as the very late years. Most actors in old makeup look pretty silly, but her performance made me believe. She didn't just look like an actor wearing makeup to make her look old, she looked completely weary and elderly- even her eyes gave off a distracted, weary quality that old people often have. She was truly remarkable in the role, and deserved her Academy Award win. The preparation she did for this role was evident. Streep is one of the greatest actors of all time, and she continues to amaze. She may be, in fact, the greatest who ever lived.

Unfortunately, the movie around her was occasionally in shambles. We've come to have a lot of expectations for a biopic, and The Iron Lady bravely did not adhere to them. However, the movie was very often a mess. Rather than moving linearly, the main story line is Thatcher in old age. She is a fraction of herself at the height of her powers. Oddly enough, she also constantly hallucinates, having conversations, dancing, and fussing over her deceased husband. This was just an odd approach to take. Now, I love that this device allowed the audience to see how closely connected these two were in life, but it quickly got old. When I watch a movie about Margaret Thatcher, I want to see what she did, I'm not all that interested in a ghost story (even if the "ghosts" are just in her head. The movie inexplicably spends far too much time on these scenes. After a certain point, we get it.

In between the elderly scenes, we get flashes of Thatcher's life. I suppose it is was a realistic portrayal of someone remembering past events- they aren't all in order, and they start and stop at various times. The movie gets credit for realism, but loses a great deal of effectiveness in the story telling. Here is an example- through the flashes, we see Thatcher rise from a young politician to the Prime Minister of Great Britain. This event cannot be overstated for importance- the first female leader of a Western country. And yet, after watching this film, I have no idea how she managed to get elected. Was it her intelligence? Her strategic political maneuvering? Did people just want something different and therefore voted for a woman? By flashing in and out of her life, we lose the explanation and continuity of seeing her rise. This journey to being the most powerful person in England should have been explained so the audience could understand and appreciate her. Instead, it's glossed over.

The movie does pick up a bit of steam when you get to the war in the Falklands, but it still feels far too disjointed. I didn't get a great sense for what Thatcher did, what she didn't do, how her actions led to problems and how she overcame them. The film missed the mark on these details. While the end of the film is beautiful and powerful in its own way, it felt somewhat unsatisfying. When I thought about Thatcher, I basically thought, "She seems like a fairly polarizing figure." I didn't have a great understanding of what she accomplished (although, I suppose I did gain a sense of what drove her). I wanted to understand more about her life, and this film just missed the mark in that regard.

This movie did also win one other Academy Award, for Best Makeup. It absolutely deserved that. The makeup to transform Streep into an elderly Thatcher is nothing short of astounding. This is often one of the weakest aspects of a film and is often completely unbelievable. I never for one second felt like the makeup took me out of the story- in fact, it made me believe Streep's character even more. This film hit a home run with the makeup work, and I'm very glad it was rewarded.

So, back to Streep. Meryl Streep's amazing performance of Margaret Thatcher saves this movie from a much worse fate. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make this a very good film. In that regard, I still question whether she should have won the Academy Award. I think an actor should be judged not just on the performance, but on how they elevate a film. Streep certainly pulled this movie up greatly, but it's still not a very good movie. I was actually really disappointed with The Iron Lady. It's certainly not a terrible movie, but I wanted a lot more from a Margaret Thatcher biopic.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Julie and Julia, The Queen