FILM REVIEWS

Meryl Streep deservedly wins a third Oscar for “The Iron Lady.”

Here is what I wrote in December:

The performance’s the thing in “The Iron Lady,” a rather conventional and bland biopic of the powerful and controversial British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The chief reason to see this movie is the commanding performance by Meryl Streep, which reaffirms her status as the most accomplished and versatile American actress working today.

Trailer: http://www.emanuellevy.com/?attachment_id=47283

It was only a matter of time before a chronicle of the tough lady would be made into a big-screen entertainment. Due to its subject matter, “The Iron Lady” will inevitably be compared to “The Queen,” Stephen Frears’ 2006 portrait of another British iconic figure, which was smarter and superior in every way. Helen Mirren had deservedly won the Oscar for playing the titular part in “The Queen,” and Streep stands a good chance to win her third Oscar for her authoritative portraiture.

One can quibble, and legitimately so, with the screenplay, by Abi Morgan, which uses some old-fashioned and tiresome devices (more about it later), and the overly compassionate, or at least nonpartisan, strategy of the director, Phyllida Lloyd (she’s after all the helmer of “Mamma Mia!”).

But there’s no doubt about the high-quality acting of its leading lady, Streep, who dominates every scene she is in—and ultimately the entire picture. Some of the supporting actors, such as Jim Broadbent as her husband Denis, are also good, but it’s really Streep’s spectacle.

I understand that some of the British press is upset by Streep’s interpretation—too emotional, one journalist said, too technical, another quipped, too much of physical mimicry, instead of full embodiment of the woman-politician, and so on.

No doubt, the screenplay, penned by Abi Morgan (known for her TV work, “The Hour,” and Steve McQueen’s new, estimable movie, “Shame”) could have been deeper, more original, and more provocative. As always with biopics, the crucial issues of the genre are those of inclusion and exclusion.

The Weinstein Christmas release likely will divide viewers. Some might wonder why the film focuses on some select aspects of the figure’s career and life, while neglecting, omitting, or glossing over other aspects that they consider more crucial to the understanding the individual’s modus operandi. (For example, the relationship between Thatcher and President Reagan gets very brief treatment, and via a dance).

Director Phyllida Lloyd, though guiding Streep to one of her most commercially popular films she’s ever made, the musical movie “Mamma Mia!” could have possessed better technical skills (especially in the editing department) and a more refined visual style that would have better served the rather flimsy material.

By and large, “The Iron Lady” is not critical enough of Thatcher, as could have been expected, now that decades have passed since her reign of power, which lasted a little over 11 years. She is still the only female Prime Minister that England has had.

If anything, the portraiture that emerges is rather sympathetic—the film is yet another addition to a group of “sympathetic monsters” seen this season (including Eastwood’s Hoover biopic, “J. Edgar”). It’s hard to tell why the filmmakers have chosen such an even-handed, often too compassionate and sentimental approach.

Set in the present day, the tale spans three days with Margaret Thatcher, now in her 80s, her world constrained by security needs and debilities of age.  Depending on caretakers, she can only be consoled by conversations with her husband Denis, who has passed on but whose imagined presence provides companionship.

Making yet another tough decision, she is finally willing to let go of his clothes and possessions. This destabilizing moment triggers memories of her embattled past begin to ambush her. As Margaret is hurtled from her wartime childhood as a grocer’s daughter onto the ups and downs of her political life, she considers the personal cost and impact of her convictions on the nation, her detractors, her supporters, her family, and, above all herself.

 Like “J. Edgar,” “The Iron Lady” is grounded in the present time, finding Thatcher as an old lady well into her 80s and afflicted with dementia. Suffering from a severe memory loss, she looks back selectively and distortingly on her youth, family, rise to power, formidable rule, and then rapid decline.

Early on, Thatcher is forced to deal with the demise of her husband Denis (played by Jim Broadbent) several years before. This narrative device gives her the opportunity to reminisce about her past. Much like “J. Edgar,” though less powerfully, the chronicle consists of flashbacks that are unevenly interspersed throughout the yarn.

The tale’s recurrent visual motif is a dance that the young Margaret and Denis took to the tune of “Shall We Dance?” from the popular movie musical “The King and I.”  And while the old Margaret can’t remember recent events, she’s quick to point out the precise number of times that Yul Brynner had played the King of Siam in the Broadway and London theaters.

We get glimpses into the teenager Maggie (played by Alexandra Roach) and her relationships with her father, the owner of a grocery store in Grantham. Later on, much is made, and deservedly so, of her working class origins, not to mention her gender.

Morgan’s story both uses and abuses the premise of Thatcher’s memory loss, by which I mean that it depicts such important events as the IRA issue, the Falklands war, the Brighton bombing, ND the miners’ strike, in even-handed but not particularly convincing manner.

Among other shortcomings, “Iron Lady” fails to distinguish between events that are truly significant and those that are less so in the politician’s life. As a result, the events blur not only in Thatcher’s mind, but also on the screen—as movie episodes.

Moreover, some viewers may find tiresome the constant switch from the present to the past and back to the present. There is too much interruption (and disruption) of potentially interesting episodes, and not enough attention is devoted to the broader socio-political contexts in which they took place.

In contrast to the tale, which is often bland in vision (considering the significant factual events and tumultuous relationships that are covered) and broad in scope, Streep’s work is specific and detailed, an impressive impersonation that succeeds in evoking Thatcher’s persona, body, heart (and lack of), and soul. (Colleagues of mine in London have been trying to guess which British actress could have done a better, more convincing job).

Relying on physical and verbal mimicry, Streep, who is 62, rises above the limitations of the strangely bland scenario and the pedestrian direction. We get the image of a rigid, staunch, vibrant–in many ways uniquely British–leader as her power base crumbles and she diminishes in stature.

Engrossing more than enlightening, descriptive more than illuminating, deferential more than critical, “The Iron Lady” is passable entertainment for the holiday season, but certainly not the definitive cinematic portrait of one of the most powerful and divisive figures of our times.

Cast:

Margaret Thatcher – Meryl Streep
Denis Thatcher – Jim Broadbent
Young Margaret Thatcher – Alexandra Roach
Young Denis Thatcher – Harry Lloyd
Carol Thatcher – Olivia Colman
Alfred Roberts – Iain Glen
Muriel Roberts – Victoria Bewick
Airey Neave – Nicholas Farrell
Edward Heath – John Sessions
Geoffrey Howe – Anthony Head
Shadow Minister – David Westhead
Francis Pym – Julian Wadham
Michael Heseltine – Richard E. Grant
John Nott – Angus Wright
Gordon Reece – Roger Allam
Michael Foot – Michael Pennington
June – Susan Brown
Susie – Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Credits:

Produced by DJ Films, Pathe, Film 4, UK Film Council
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Screenwriter: Abi Morgan
Producer: Damian Jones
Executive producers: Francois Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Tessa Ross, Adam Kulick
Co-producers: Anita Overland, Colleen Woodcock
Director of photography: Elliott Davis
Production designer: Simon Elliott
Music: Thomas Newman
Costume designer: Consolata Boyle
Editor: Justine Wright

MPAA: Rated PG-13

Running time:105 Minutes.