
Elderly and a virtual prisoner in her own home due to her concerned staff and daughter Carol, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, looks back on her life as she clears out her late husband Denis's clothes for the Oxfam shop. Denis is seen as being her rock as she first enters parliament and then runs for the leadership of the Conservative Party, culminating in her eventual premiership. Now his ghost joins her to comment on her successes and failures, somet... (Full plot summary below)
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Elderly and a virtual prisoner in her own home due to her concerned staff and daughter Carol, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, looks back on her life as she clears out her late husband Denis's clothes for the Oxfam shop. Denis is seen as being her rock as she first enters parliament and then runs for the leadership of the Conservative Party, culminating in her eventual premiership. Now his ghost joins her to comment on her successes and failures, sometimes to her annoyance, generally to her comfort until ultimately, as the clothes are sent to the charity shop, Denis departs from Margaret's life forever.
Leave your thoughts about The Iron Lady.
| Big Picture Big SoundJoe LozitoA biopic of the highest order featuring a performance of equal measure. A thoughtful, complex portrait of Britain's divisive PM. |
| Birmingham Mail Graham YoungWhichever side you are on, you will be full of admiration for Streep's masterclass. Long may this particular ruler remain in her Hollywood 'office'. |
| New York PostKyle SmithSincerely directed by one woman (Phyllida Lloyd, who did "Mamma Mia!") and smartly written by another (Abi Morgan), the film stars an unsurpassable Meryl Streep, whose ability to empathize with her characters has never been more gloriously impassioned than it is in this titanic performance. |
| Video-Reviewmaster.comSteve CrumThe screenplay itself is problematic, but Streep dazzles. |
| Uncut Magazine [UK]Wendy IdeIf the idea is to humanise the woman, it's rather wasted. If there's one thing Margaret Thatcher won't be remembered for, it's her humanity. |
| IFC.comMatt SingerLess of a movie than a showcase for Streep. |
| culturevulture.netEmily S. MendelDespite Streep's great performance, the film wavers between a touching story about a sympathetic old woman and a cautionary tale of hubris gone wild. |
| Laramie Movie ScopeRobert RotenAlthough this film contains a great performance by Streep (one of the greatest actors of her generation) and strong supporting performances, the muddled multi-flashback story spends far too much time on Thatcher's late life mental problems. |
| Rolling StonePeter TraversThe sharp economy of Lloyd's direction allows the incontestably great Streep to take impressionistic snatches of a life and build a woman in full. This is acting of the highest order. |
| Charlotte ObserverRoger MooreLloyd finesses a deft script of brisk, quick strokes by Abi Morgan ("Brick Lane," "Shame") into a terrific entertainment. |