British Prime Minister Questions “Iron Lady” Timing

David Cameron praises Meryl, but wishes the movie had stayed more political.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has nothing but praise for "Iron Lady" star Meryl Streep, but he does have some concerns about the film's timing and intent.

Speaking with the BBC's Radio 4, the prime minister revealed that he felt the film - which charts the rise of Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister - should have stayed in the political arena and not delved so deeply into Thatcher's later health issues.

"It's a fantastic piece of acting by Meryl Streep. You can't help wondering, why do we have to have this film right now. It is a film much more about aging and elements of dementia rather about than an amazing prime minister," said Cameron.

He suggests the timing is poor as well, since the addled 86-year-old Thatcher is still alive. "I wish they could have made another day," Cameron admitted. 

Other members of Cameron's (and Thatcher's) Conservative Party echoed the prime minister's sentiments.

Conservative lawmaker Louise Mensch said, in an interview with Reuters, that "Meryl Streep should probably get an Oscar for an amazing portrayal [but] there was too much of a concentration on Lady Thatcher's dementia and not enough on her life story, her achievements."

Thatcher served as prime minister from 1979 until 1990, during times of great political turmoil in England, including the war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Streep and the film have already garnered Golden Globe nominations, and will likely see Oscar nods as well.

Selected Reading: MSNBC, Telegraph, Daily Mail

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