The Iron Lady
Review by Anthony Morris
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The Iron Lady
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Quick quiz : of all the possible stories to tell about former UK
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which would you think would be the
least interesting to tell? Don't bother answering, as this
often bizarre film's saved you the trouble by focusing on – of all
things – her struggle to cope with the death of her husband Denis while
suffering from dementia in 21st century, long after her time in the
spotlight has passed. At first this seems like it's just going to be a framing device for flashbacks covering her past.
Those
flashbacks are here. They're just mostly short, superficial and
screamingly obvious, painting her life and rise to political power as
little more than one woman's struggle in a man’s world. There
are hints of her extremely dubious political practises – basically,
every time she makes a major decision they either cut to (over very
brutal) real-life riot footage or we hear that hundreds of people have
died – but the whole film glides over her reign so quickly you'd be
tempted to wonder what all the fuss was about. The Iron Lady's only strong point – and it"s a doozy – is Meryl Streep as Thatcher. She
gives a brilliant performances that goes way beyond mimicry, coping
effortlessly with both the (clearly shown as slightly unhinged) woman
in the prime of her life and the doddering but still tough woman she is
in her final years. Of course, you also get Jim Broadbent
as a comedy ghost version of Denis, and the way this seems to want to
re-frame her life as a love story between two sweet innocents rather
than the unpleasant characters they were / are in real life is just
another reason to give this one a miss.
2 out
of 5
The Iron Lady
Australian release: 26th December,
2011
Official
Site: The Iron Lady
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anthony Head, Harry Lloyd, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Olivia Colman
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
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