Streep shines in ‘The Iron Lady’

There are many films about famous people, from 1995's "Truman," to 2011's "The King's Speech." Famous people are often fodder for our film imaginations. This latest biopic is no different.

"The Iron Lady" stars the unflappable Meryl Streep as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female Prime Minister of the UK, who was also the longest serving of the 20th century, serving 11 years from 1979 to 1990.

The performance may be one of Streep's finest to date, which is really quite the accomplishment in a career filled with amazing and heart felt parts. Streep has managed to make a character as large and polarizing as Thatcher, a three-dimensional woman shedding light on the humanity and life of a person not just a public figure.

The film itself is interestingly framed by Thatcher's modern day struggle with age and dementia, as well as the ongoing theme of what her pursuit of power has cost her. In many scenes Thatcher carries on regular conversations with her dead husband, played by the very funny and talented Jim Broadbent.

The film also covers her formative years as she broke into politics at the tender age of 24, as well as the conflicts she often had on her rise to the top with her husband and those around her.

There was also an interesting use of archival news footage, including the day she first took office, footage of her meeting with Ronald Reagan and graphic and heartbreaking footage of the Falkland War of 1982.

While the film is very good, it has a few sticking points. Due to the switching between Thatcher's reality and memories of the past, the film's plot is somewhat difficult to follow. It helps to have some background knowledge of Thatcher before seeing the film.

In addition to the difficult transitions between times, it is also not a fully accurate portrayal of what went on during Thatcher's rise to power and time as prime minister. It doesn't really touch on Thatcher's moves to privatizing state utilities or on her dealings with the Soviet Union.

Thatcher's children have been critical of the film, saying in July 2010 in The Telegraph that they were "appalled" and it "sounds like a left-wing fantasy." Other critics have said the film is insensitive to those suffering from dementia.

I found "The Iron Lady" to be touching and sad. It was a somewhat inaccurate chronicle of a famous powerful woman's life, and you should go see it if for no other reason than to catch what may be Streep's next Oscar winning performance.