Review: The Iron Lady

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Jim Broadbent and Meryl Streep in the Iron Lady

The Iron Lady attempts to depict the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the U.K. It does so in a less than cohesive manner, but the acting by Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent shines through.

A significant portion of the film occurs in 2011 (at least this is my assumption from hints given), with an octogenarian Margaret Thatcher (Streep) under the sway of dementia and visions of her dead husband Denis (Broadbent). Quick flutters of memory, such as holding hands during The King and I, are interspersed with longer flashbacks of growing up a grocer's daughter and her eventual entrance into the political world. For the present, her daughter Carol (Olivia Colman) and Thatcher's household staff are waiting for her to clean out Denis' wardrobe since he has been dead for eight years.

Phyllida Lloyd's first non-musical film seems dependent on the use of angled shots (to illustrate confusion? I'm not really sure why) and many montages. About a sixth of the film is Thatcher walking around various places followed by a group of white guys (I exaggerate slightly). Some of the flashback moments are edited so hurriedly that the viewer doesn't have much of a chance to connect or react.

Besides the magnificent period costuming by Consolata Boyle and the quirky screenplay by Abi Morgan, the main strength of The Iron Lady lies in the performances by Streep and Broadbent. I don't know that Streep ever perfectly captures Thatcher's accent or tone, but her portrayal is so assured that at times I forgot I was watching Meryl Streep. Broadbent's Denis is teasing and fun-loving. The film dwells on the relationship between Denis and Margaret as much as (if not more than) it does on her political career.

Given the free-flow structure of memories, years bleed into each other in The Iron Lady. Her memories focus on 1959 til 1990 -- the year Thatcher joined Parliament to the end of her stint as Prime Minister. We see her deal with advisors who suggest she's not connected to the people and wrestle with the Falkland Islands conflict. Streep's Thatcher is outspoken and unapologetic, even when in the wrong.

There are other familiar faces in the cast, although their roles are quite minimal. Anthony (Stewart) Head plays a close advisor to Thatcher during her period as Prime Minister. Richard E. Grant shows up as a Tory colleague who eventually turns against her. Iain Glen (TV's Downton Abbey, Wives & Daughters) only appears in extremely short glimpses as Margaret's dad who first stirs her interest in Conservative politics. Nicholas Farrell (Torchwood, Charlotte Gray) plays Thatcher's mentor Airey Neave who advises her, "Never be anything other than yourself."

The Iron Lady is enjoyable despite itself. The connection between Margaret and Denis is endearing, especially given the portrayals by Streep and Broadbent. And it is always refreshing to see a strong female character onscreen, even when I don't agree with her politics.