The Iron Lady (2011)

The biggest flaw of this film is that it tries to combine two movies into one with only some success. It's primarily a film about a widow trying to let go and say good bye to the ghost of her husband. Then it's a biography about one of the most important political leaders in recent history. The two don't always mesh. I wanted to know more about her career and the relationships she had with other political figures. But all of that felt rushed or glossed over so the narrative could jump back to Maggie Thatcher as an old woman talking with her husband, Dennis. I'm conflicted because I think the love story should be the soul of the film, but when the movie ended I didn't feel like I knew Mrs. Thatcher any better than when I started. As for Meryl Streep: is there any more doubt she's the greatest actor/actress of all time? I don't know how she does it. She is amazing and completely deserving of the Oscar last year. Actually the strongest aspect of the film is the acting from everyone and I can tell that director, Phyllida Lloyd is excellent at communicating to actors. Maybe this is more of a case where I wanted an Oliver Stone film about Margret Thatcher and instead I ended up with something else, more personal. Overall there are some wonderful moments that stand out and make this a decent film. Grade: B