The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady Meryl Streep is my pick for 2011’s Best Actress for her incredible, uncanny work as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in director Phyllida Lloyd’s engaging biopic. Streep disappears into her role. Yes, it’s in partly due to excellent makeup work, but it’s mostly due to Streep’s beautifully nuanced performance. She plays Thatcher at many ages, including her recent declining years, and she’s spot on. Her accent is natural, her physicality is perfection. Yes, the film glosses over a lot of the political aspects that made Thatcher controversial. It focuses mainly on Thatcher’s relationship with her husband (played in later years by Jim Broadbent), and her psychological and emotional difficulties in her elder years. This is all about Streep and seeing an actress showing the world how this sort of thing is done right.