Movie review - "The Iron Lady" (2012) **1/2

Much to admire in this biopic - Meryl Streep's superb performance, getting all the incantations and inflections right, some stunningly good make up (they start off with this right away - I was apprehensive but what is normally bad is very well done), the sets and costumes, a strong cast of excellent actors. But the filmmakers seem more interested in Thatcher's Alzheimer's and old age banter with Dennis than politics - about a third of the film is devoted to her imaginary talks with Jim Broadbent, which hits the same beat over and over again. I don't mind five minutes or so but it goes for over half an hour.

This has the table of contents of a good movie - glimpses at Maggie's preference for Mark over Carol, we hear about how her being a woman was an advantage as well as a debit, shots of her listening to her father speak, her attitudes on the Poll tax, a snap shot of her relationship with Airey Neave, a brief moment showing her opposition to conciliatory conservatism - but little of this is dramatised. What we mostly get are montages, lots of scenes of extras banging on her car, or being the only woman. No real insight. Jim Broadbent's Denis Thatcher is just loveable cuddly and supportive - no moments of his own political views or why he loved Maggie or thoughts on their kids or the state of the nation. (This could have been a moving love story - it has the ending for one, but not the middle). There's no sense how she controlled her Parliament, or the country, or got legislation through. We have two IRA bombs (Brighton and one that killed Airey Neave) but no talk about her attitude towards Ireland.

Bob Ellis was right: it's a musical without music, all set ups for songs and theatrical devices (talking to dead people, monologues). Wonderful performance and make up, and at least it has a different sort of take on the material even if it is an undramatic one.