Meryl Streep in her Oscar-winning turn as Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who, after winning the 1979 general election after serving as Secretary of State for Education and Science in former Prime Minister Edward Heath's Cabinet, led the Conservative Party with a iron fist--teacup often in hand. Handsome, commanding film, complete with wistful remembrances from old age and the ghost of Margaret's deceased husband Denis (Jim Broadbent), puts a great deal of responsibility on Streep's shoulders, yet she carries the role off with aplomb. Director Phyllida Lloyd and screenwriter Abi Morgan are not afraid of using humor to tell Thatcher's story--and, conversely, they do not shy away from Thatcher's controversial political decisions, her impatient manner, persnickety stubbornness and unflappable nature while facing her many judges and adversaries. All involved have done a great deal of study here, and Lloyd is effective in making the elderly Thatcher a sympathetic woman full of memories who nevertheless will not go quietly into the night. The balance here--the despised woman and the headstrong lady leader who abhorred weakness--is carefully weighed. While the film isn't intrinsically exciting as an entertainment, it is a sterling showcase for its leading lady. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Iron Lady
