The Iron Lady (2011): Film Review of Thatcher's Life
This paper offers a review of The Iron Lady (2011), the biographical film about Margaret Thatcher directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Meryl Streep. The review summarizes the film's narrative structure — built largely around flashbacks from an elderly, dementia-affected Thatcher — and traces its depiction of her childhood, rise through the British Tory Party, marriage to Denis Thatcher, and key events such as the Falkland Islands War. The paper concludes with a personal reaction that praises Streep's Academy Award-winning performance while critiquing the film's tendency to meander and its emphasis on Thatcher's declining health over the substance of her political career.
- Introduction: Thatcher's tenure and paper's purpose
- Background on the Film: Cast, crew, and Academy Awards
- Film Summary: Plot, flashbacks, and key historical events
- Personal Reaction: Praise for Streep, criticism of pacing
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The review moves logically from production background to plot summary to personal evaluation, giving readers a complete picture before the critic's opinion is offered.
- Specific scene details — Thatcher buying milk, the coin close-up, the juxtaposition of high heels against the men's black shoes — ground the analysis in concrete evidence from the film.
- The personal reaction section clearly separates praise (Streep's performance, the gender-gap depictions) from criticism (the film's narrative meandering), demonstrating balanced critical thinking.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates evaluative synthesis: it integrates plot summary with contextual historical information (Thatcher's actual tenure, the 1982 Falklands War, her role as the first female British Prime Minister) and then uses that combined base to support a personal critical judgment. This mirrors the standard film-review academic format — description followed by analysis and evaluation.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into four sections: a brief introduction establishing Thatcher's historical significance; a production background section covering cast, crew, and awards; an extended plot summary organized chronologically through the film's flashback structure; and a personal reaction section offering critical praise and criticism. The structure is straightforward and appropriate for a review paper at the undergraduate level.
Introduction
Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. She was the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century and the only woman ever to hold that office. Elected to a third term in 1987, her popularity declined dramatically, and by 1990 she was forced to resign due to a lack of support for her policies. This paper is an in-depth review of the film about her life, The Iron Lady.
Background on the Film
In December 2011, a film about the life and times of Margaret Thatcher was released by 20th Century Fox in the UK and The Weinstein Company in the United States. Phyllida Lloyd directed the film, Damian Jones produced it, and the screenplay was written by Abi Morgan. Alexandra Roach played the younger Thatcher, while Meryl Streep portrayed Thatcher in her later years. Denis Thatcher, her husband, was played by Jim Broadbent, and Geoffrey Howe — her most trusted and loyal cabinet member — was played by Anthony Head.
The film was not widely praised by critics; however, Streep was nominated for an Academy Award and won — her eighteenth nomination in total. The film also received an Academy Award for Best Makeup, which is easy to appreciate given how remarkably Streep was transformed to resemble the former prime minister.
Works Cited
IMDB. (2011). The Iron Lady. Retrieved March 6, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.