The Iron Lady - A Review

So with two hours to spare yesterday I succumbed to temptation and went to see The Iron Lady at the cinema.
I was a few mins late and I did wonder if I had done the right thing as I noticed a no of the audience were of a certain age and looked suspiciously like Tories. I am sure that wasn't entirely the case but it did make an uncomfortable moment as I hoped I was going to be sitting among a cheering crowd, thankfully that did not happen either.
I have to say my feelings for the film are mixed. It needed to be longer, deal more with the issues of her premiership and it also needed to show both sides of the story (and that would have been hard), in showing not only why Thatcher was adored, but also why her opponents disliked her the way they did. It also fell into the usual pit (where film biopics are concerned) of glaring inaccuracy. Margaret Thatcher was not in the Commons Car Park when Airey Neave was murdered, she was at a publicity event elsewhere in London. It also does not make clear that Heath was Opposition leader, not Prime Minister by the time Margaret Thatcher challenged him. The use of archive footage the way they did also gave it a "Made for TV" feel.
That said, it was outstanding in some key areas. Meryl Streep did a brilliant performance and for that, merits an Oscar . It also showed her background as a Grocer's daughter and a rising politician in a way which made it clear why she became the woman she was, or indeed is, and it showed a side to her decline in a way which, whilst it showed that for longer than was perhaps necessary, was dealt with more sensitively than it could have been.
I would recommend it, but as I have said, my views of this film are mixed and perhaps the ideal three hour biopic would be difficult to make, but it does come across as a "Thatcher for beginners" and perhaps that is how we should see it