The Iron Lady

Many of the most memorable film biopics find one small moment in the span of the character's grand life and use that crucial point to tell the viewers everything.  In the brilliant The Queen (2006), the film revolved around the sequence of events following Princess Diana's death, yet we learn tons about Queen Elizabeth II. In The King's Speech, the action centered around preparation for an important speech. In Frost/Nixon (2008), the story was simply about a television interview.

But like the films J. Edgar( 2011) and Nixon (1995), The Iron Lady tries to tell us about the character's personal and professional life from childhood through old age. Flashbacks! Prosthetics!  Speculation on her life today!  All these distracting details make for an unfocused film with no point of view. 

There is a brief moment involving the decisions around the Falklands War that showed a glimmer of what a good Margaret Thatcher movie would be. Despite an astounding performance from Meryl Streep, Thatcher deserved a better film.

Simply put:  Too much of the film focuses on an old woman who can't quite remember who she used to be.  And this movie is not so sure either

Award potential: Oscar nomination and possible win for Streep. Jim Broadbent has done this type of role well too many times to get noticed here. The picture and screenplay should be shut out as well.

The ten buck review:  Not worth ten bucks.