The Iron Lady

2/5 stars
Film review by Jamie Dunn.
Published 03 January 2012

Meryl Streep, wearing what looks to be Jennifer Saunders’ prosthetics from that Absolutely Fabulous episode set in the future, is Baroness Thatcher. It’s two decades since the ‘glory days’ of number 10 and the former PM is ready for the knacker’s yard.

Her mind, addled by dementia and pickled in Johnnie Walker, is playing tricks on her. Not only has late hubby Denis (Broadbent) become her ghostly Banquo, she’s also flashing back to her tyrannical premiership, which she reimagines as a rags-to-riches fairytale with her as the plucky greengrocer’s daughter who took on the establishment. Streep, aided by a camp array of teeth and hair, captures Thatcher’s strangeness and her psychotic belief in her own political omniscience – generously, she also imbues Maggie with some humanity.

This great turn aside, Phyllida Lloyd’s direction and Abi Morgan’s script are about as deep as George Osborne’s treasury coffers, with Thatcher’s decimated Britain of strikes, riots, unemployment, terrorism and war reduced to glib I Love the 80s-style montage. [Jamie Dunn]


The Iron Lady official trailer

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  • Meryl may be headed for another Oscar nod for the Iron Lady but she’s never looked better than on the Zombie Walk of Fame as a featured diva at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/10/00-countdown-to-halloween-divas-of.html

    Posted by Brandt Hardin | Tuesday January 2012 @ 21:29

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  • Jamie, is this you living up to your Twitter description? "The Skinny's chief film hack. All opinions here are poorly researched, ill conceived and badly thought out..."

    Not a Maggie fan then... ok, that's allowed, irrespective of your beliefs she lived / lives an incredible life through Meryl Streep. Those not familiar with her peaks and troughs are treated to a Hollywood version from her view point not that of her opposition (of which there were many). If you were a business owner in the 80's you would not consider Britain to be decimated but in the arms of someone that cared - definitely not a Miner's point of view but one worth considering?

    Posted by Colin Gilchrist | Wednesday January 2012 @ 13:24

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  • Bit of a low-blow using my self-deprecating twitter profile to bad-mouth me, Colin. I haven’t seen such an unjust attack since Thatcher sunk the Belgrano.

    While you're talking about poor research, though, this is not a “Hollywood version” of Thatcher’s life. It was financed by Pathe (French) and Film4 (British), and was directed, produced and written by three Brits (Phyllida Lloyd, Damian Jones and Abi Morgan respectively). Therefore there’s no excuse for the film’s sketchy nature and hollow core. “Those not familiar with her peaks and troughs” will still be in the dark at the end of the film as it offers no insight into Thatcher’s time in office. Lloyd seems more interested in the older Thatcher in her dotage — which, incidentally, I think Thatcher will hate as she has been very private about her current health problems.

    I would have loved if the film had more to say about Thatcher’s politics. For example, a smarter director might have made more of Airey Neave’s assassination to help explain why Thatcher seemed so coldhearted about the death of Republican political prisoners on hunger strike. But this incident, as well as other major events in Thatcher’s career, is given a cursory nod so that Streep can have more screen time to play at being senile -- good news for Streep's oscar hopes, bad news for anyone who wants a history lesson.

    As much as I hate Thatcher, she deserves much better than this mince.

    Posted by Jamie Dunn | Thursday January 2012 @ 09:54

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