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Whether you love or loathe Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister deserves a better movie treatment of her life than "The Iron Lady."
But both sides will agree that Meryl Streep really nails the impersonation.
Those who admire Thatcher and her right-wing politics will be offended that much of the film depicts her as a doddering old lady. An Alzheimer's-addled woman, that is, rummaging through her fading memories and having imaginary conversations with her deceased husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent).
Those who vehemently disagree with Thatcher's policies — and consider her heartless to Britain's poor and a warmonger — will wish for a movie that more thoroughly made a case for or against her political philosophy.
Instead, director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed Streep in "Mamma Mia!") and writer Abi Morgan serve up a montage of greatest hits from Thatcher's public career, providing little context or explanation of why Thatcher mattered.
One minute, we see shopkeeper's daughter Margaret Roberts (played as a young woman by Alexandra Roach) learning the political ropes and being hesitantly romanced by the young Denis (played by Harry Roach). As Margaret Thatcher (and now played by Streep), she wins her first election to Parliament, where she learns the harder lessons of back-bench politics — and how to turn her shrill voice and lower-class wardrobe into an advantage.
Episodes in Thatcher's life follow. There's the death of a trusted mentor (Nicholas Hammond) in an IRA terrorist bombing and her ascension to 10 Downing Street. There's her decision to declare war on Argentina over the Falkland Islands, and the betrayal of her cabinet — embodied by Michael Heseltine (Richard E. Grant) — that ultimately ended her tenure as prime minister.
Streep delivers each of these moments perfectly, capturing Thatcher's imperious bearing and her schoolmarm cadences. But Lloyd and Morgan fail to bring Streep's moments together into a coherent narrative.
"The Iron Lady" suffers the same problem as another biography of a controversial power player, Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar," in that it fails to take a stand. Thatcher may have been a hero or a villain, depending on one's political leanings — but the filmmakers seem to be the only people in the English-speaking world who are neutral on the topic.
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'The Iron Lady'
Meryl Streep's note-perfect performance as Margaret Thatcher doesn't make up for the movie's ambivalence.
Where • Theaters everywhere.
When • Opens Friday, Jan. 13.
Rating • PG-13 for some violent images and brief nudity.
Running time • 105 minutes.