The Iron Lady (2012)

Main Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E.Grant, Anthony Head

Plot Summary: Suffering with dementia, one of England's most notorious Prime Ministers, Margaret Thatcher, looks back at her life.

The Good: - I will always find it hard to fault Meryl Streep. The woman's a phenomenal actress who completely immerses herself in her roles, including this one. For those who remember Thatcher, Streep's portrayal is eerily accurate. As my mum said, "sometimes you weren't sure if you were looking at Maggie or Meryl." It's all in the details, and Streep obviously did her research pre-film, bringing Thatcher's nuances to the screen in a captivating performance.

-The rest of the cast were also successful, and supported Streep's starring role well. Alexandra Roach as the young Margaret and Olivia Colman as Carol Thatcher, both played their parts with determination and precision, not to mention Broadbent who is always so lovely to watch. 

The Bad: - Overall, the story line was badly constructed and the general premise misguided. Choosing to show Thatcher as she is now, struggling with dementia, was a poor decision. Firstly, it's unfair on the living Thatcher, her friends and family. Secondly, it means focusing on a part of her life which is by no means the greatest, and which simply ends up highlighting the flaws of old age, rather than concentrating on the historical figure that Thatcher is. With 11 years in Parliament and many achievements (and failures) throughout, there was much more that the film could have considered.

-Although the use of flashbacks is an easy way to look at part of Thatcher's history, it meant the film was greatly lacking. The most famous aspects of Thatcher's leadership were only briefly shown and most were simply skimmed over. It seems a shame that when there is such a story to be told, it was wasted on flashbacks and images of an old lady talking to herself. 

Memorable Moment: -Prime Ministers Questions. A good example of where Streep excelled at portraying 'The Iron Lady.'

Score: 4/10

Verdict: Other than Streep's excellent impersonation, the film is very forgettable with a badly chosen focal point. If director Phillipa Lloyd wanted to make a film about dementia and old age, she needn't have pretended to make it about a living legend. If however she'd chosen to do a true biopic of Thatcher, the dementia and pathetic little old lady aspect was totally unnecessary. As someone who didn't know the extent of Thatcher's history going into the film, I learnt nothing having seen it. All 'The Iron Lady' succeeded in doing was reminding us how amaze-balls, Meryl Streep truly is.