Let's face it, Meryl Streep is going to be nominated for playing former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. It's a lock. In the same way we can probably expect to see Leonardo DiCaprio earn a nom for playing J. Edgar Hoover. The real question I have is whether or not either of them deserve it. In DiCaprio's case I'd say definitely not. For Streep, it's still up in the air.
The teaser trailer we received back in July didn't do a whole lot for me. I think she looks the part, although the prosthetic nose is a distraction. But the cadence of her speech and her mannerisms were left mostly under wraps. In fact, the whole film has been in hiding for months now until today with the release of this new, full length trailer. In it, we get a better look at what Streep is bringing to the table, and again I'm left with the sense that she's playing a part, not becoming the character the way we're so used to seeing from her.
The story centers on the few weeks leading up the Falklands War in 1982, but to me it seems like it's going to focus less on her policies and some of the controversial decisions she made. Instead, it's going to be an "overcoming the odds" tale about how Thatcher gained the respect of her male peers, and how she struggled to balance her career as a world leader with that of her personal life. I'm less interested in that story, to be perfectly honest.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd(Mama Mia!) with a script by Abi Morgan(Shame), The Iron Lady begins it's Academy Awards bid when it opens on December 30th. Check out the trailer below...
