The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance is what makes this intimate biopic about Margaret Thatcher so compelling. Beginning in her twilight years at home, we see Thatcher (Streep) amiably chatting with her long-dead husband Denis (Jim Broadbent). The story then flashes back to Thatcher's political rise, running (unsuccessfully, at first) for the House of Parliament and then becoming the first (and only) female Prime Minister, relentlessly dominating her party while staunchly shepherding Great Britain through various financial crises, the mid-‘80s miners' strike, IRA attacks, the Brighton bombing, and the Falklands War. Daughter of a Grantham grocer, young Maggie Roberts (Alexandra Roach) always spoke with conviction and confidence, often infuriating stodgy, local representatives. Quite smitten, young and compliant Denis Thatcher (Harry Lloyd) vowed to help her win a Conservative seat in Parliament in 1959. While Streep masterfully replicates Thatcher's speech, gestures, distinctive posture, and implacable demeanor, the film suffers from a disjointed screenplay, which director Phyllida Lloyd tries to enliven by interweaving nostalgic music (such as Rogers & Hammerstein's “Shall We Dance?” from The King and I) and archival footage. Thatcher's close relationship with President Ronald Reagan receives scant attention here, although her famous comeuppance to then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig is deliciously recreated here. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “History Goes to the Cinema” featurette (18 min.), a “making-of” featurette (13 min.), production featurettes on “Recreating the Young Margaret Thatcher” (3 min.), “Costume Design: Pearls and Power Suits” (3 min.), “Denis: The Man Behind the Woman” (3 min.), and “Battle in the House of Commons” (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this biopic anchored by a knockout central performance by Meryl Streep.] (S. Granger)