The Iron Lady (2011)

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E Grant

An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.

I’m purposely going to keep this review short, to proof a point of how forgettable and disappointing this film was.

The somewhat lazy script primarily focused on Margaret Thatcher’s weak moments, instead of concentrating on her strong points. I expected a film chronicling the highlights of this British political icon. Instead, the film is about an ageing Thatcher – suffering from dementia – reflecting on her life, with trivial things and events reminding her of her past.

I’ve always believed Thatcher to be a popular, good Prime Minister. However, according to ‘The Iron Lady’ she was unpopular and the Cabinet blamed her for everything that went wrong.

If it wasn’t for Meryl Streep’s fantastic performance as Margaret Thatcher, and the good make-up, this film would have been a total waste of time. There was no antagonist, no real protagonist (no, not even Thatcher), and no climax. It was just a drama about a woman with dementia.

‘The Iron Lady’ earned nearly $116 million on a $13 million budget, and received 72 award nominations, winning 25 including 2 Oscars (Best Actress, and Best Makeup).

Would I watch it again? No.