The Iron Lady [2011]
You know how sometimes people say that an actor carried a certain movie? Sometimes it’s just a figure of speech. In some cases, though, it’s completely accurate. Meryl Streep becomes Margaret Thatcher in 2011’s The Iron Lady; by far the best performance of the year. She is the movie and, well, when you have someone as talented as Streep, it’s hard to notice anything else but her. The actress, along with director Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!) and screenwriter Abi Morgan (Shame) gives us a fascinating character study, the story of Thatcher as daughter, lover, mother and ruler. It often takes too much time with her post-Government, Alzheimer’s-stricken days (depressing stuff), but her ascent to power, her time in 10 Downing St. and her inevitable downfall are riveting. Apart from Meryl, who got her 17th Oscar nomination for playing the “Iron Lady”, kudos must go to Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, the men who did the spectacular makeup for the film.
Streep looks marvellous in title role but I don’t think I could bring myself to watch this film. I think it would anger me too much. Thatcher is a complete c**t, (excuse my language) who systematically destroyed the working class in Britain.
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Yeah, I think that’s why they added a lot about Margaret’s post-Government life, especially her battle with dementia, so people could sympathize.
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She deserves no sympathy. I think that’s why I can’t watch it. I was brought up in Thatchers govt and personally suffered from her rule. I despise the woman and so many do.
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I guess you’re right. Who could give a better opinion about her than someone who actually grew up during her government and was affected by it? By the way, I didn’t know you were British!
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I suppose I am in some ways 😉 but I don’t refer to myself as such. I’m actually Scottish. There is a referendum happening in Scotland soon will which allows us to vote for independence. Scotland may not be part of Britain anymore in the future, if things go well. We’ve always seen ourselves as our own people anyway.
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Oh, OK, sorry. And that’s great about the referendum 🙂
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Oh my word, where did you find that movie poster?! How funny. GO MERYL! Nice review!
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Thanks! And about the poster, I just Googled “Iron Lady poster” and it was one of the top results, haha!
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I do like the poster right enough. Very fitting. 😉
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I want to see this movie ONLY because of Meryl Streep. And if she was the best performance of the year, I will see it!
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Yeah, for me it was the best of the year. Although, I may be biased because I’m a huge Meryl fanboy. But then again, who isn’t?
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I might be seeing this either this coming weekend or the following. Just so I know what to expect, is it “The Iron Lady” or “The Iron Bitch”?
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Both.
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More like the The Iron Befuddled based on how much time is focused on her dementia.
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Haha, you’re right!
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Haha, “Befuddled”. I love that word. I don’t know why, but I just think it’s one of those adjectives that isn’t used quite enough. Kind of like “cantankerous” or “ad hoc” or “capricious” or “axiomatic”.
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Haha, those are cool words indeed. Actually, “ad hoc” is pretty common in Spanish.
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Actually, I always joke with my mother about it. Whenever Meryl is on TV, I tell her “look, there’s my real mom!” HAHAH
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I vacillated among the C and B- range, and I ended up giving it a B-. I LOVED Meryl here. She was so wonderful. But everything else seemed uneven. Here’s my review:
http://themoviefreakblog.com/review-the-iron-lady
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She was amazing. My favorite performance of 2011. I’m glad she won the Oscar.
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I wouldn’t say she’s my favorite performance of 2011, but I’d definitely say my favorite female performance. Clooney was my favorite overall for The Descendants. But I’m putting Iron Lady on my 2012 roundup when the time comes, not my 2011 roundup, because not one theater within 200 miles of me had it until January or February of 2012. So I consider it a 2012 film. 🙂
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