Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, a 2011 film about the former Prime Minister’s life. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, written by Abi Morgan, and running 105 minutes, it mixes memory and history to trace her rise from a shop girl in Grantham to Britain’s first female leader. The film leans on John Campbell’s biography The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer’s Daughter to Prime Minister as its loose basis.
Trailer, via Film4.
Streep’s Performance
Streep’s work as Thatcher anchors the film. She plays the older woman living with dementia who sees her late husband, Denis, as a ghost, then flashes back through decades of political life. The younger Thatcher, a working-class woman trying to break into the snobbish Conservative Party, is played by Alexandra Roach. Streep’s performance earned her a third Oscar win, 29 years after her second win, along with her third Golden Globe and second BAFTA. Her scenes as the young woman struggling to fit in as a “Lady Member” of the House of Commons and later as Education Secretary under Edward Heath carry real weight.
The Political Years
The film covers Thatcher’s long arc through flashbacks. It shows her marriage to Denis Thatcher, played by Jim Broadbent as the older man and Harry Lloyd as the younger, and her friendship with Airey Neave, played by Nicholas Farrell. Her decision to stand for Leader of the Conservative Party, her eventual victory, and her voice coaching and image change are all part of the narrative. The film also touches on the 1981 Brixton riot, the 1984–1985 UK miners’ strike, and the bombing of the Grand Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, where she and her husband were nearly killed.
The 1982 War
Her decision to retake the Falkland Islands following the invasion by Argentina in 1982 is a central moment. The film also examines the tight 1981 budget over the misgivings of “wet” members of her Cabinet, including:
- Ian Gilmour
- Francis Pym
- Michael Heseltine
- Jim Prior
The Cast Around Her
Olivia Colman plays Carol Thatcher, and Roger Allam plays Gordon Reece. Susan Brown plays June, Nick Dunning plays Jim Prior, and Iain Glen plays Alfred Roberts, Thatcher’s father. Richard E. Grant plays Michael Heseltine. The ensemble supports Streep’s central performance without stealing focus.
Reception and Awards
The film drew mixed reviews from critics. Its framing device, showing Thatcher as a woman suffering from dementia, was questioned by some reviewers, though it was defended by others as a way to structure the film around memory. Despite the mixed response, Streep’s performance was widely praised. The film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and the BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair.
Our Verdict
The Iron Lady is a film about power, and it makes the cost of that power its subject. Streep’s performance is the reason to watch it, and it stands as one of her finest. The film’s handling of Thatcher’s later years is where it stumbles, leaning on a framing device that some viewers found heavy-handed. It is a portrait of a remarkable woman, told largely through her own eyes, with a lead performance that justifies its existence.
“Never Compromise.”
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
