I looked forward to seeing Margaret Thatcher at the movies last night after days of camping in rain. The film is disappointing but worth seeing nevertheless for those who:

• like to be awed by Meryl Streep's range and power to channel our speculations about famous women;
• will draw inspiration from recalling  the apparent powerlessness of her contemporary politicians to arrest Britain's humiliating collapse into poverty and her successful battles to reverse  it;
• will enjoy imagining the impotent rage of the tribal haters on the left as they realise that audiences will not be lead to share that hatred by a film much more interested in one politician's sacrifices of relationships than their political mythologies.

It was disappointing to me as a waste of stupendous talent and opportunity to reflect on the challenges, temptations and opportunities of genuine leadership. It gallops through the events that I wanted to see explored (the day to day mechanics of overcoming class snobbery and  defeatism to reinject vigour into the unfashionable virtues that had made Britain great)  and wastes endless time on the incipient Alzheimers of a lonely old lady.  The camera lingering on Streep's old age geisha mask makeup never let me lose awareness that it was Streep, and not Margaret Thatcher. The film doesn't allow Streep the acheivement of Helen Mirren in  "The Queen"..

I  could have seen lots more of young Margaret Roberts the Grocer's daughter becoming the Secretary for Education, and calming (or stifling) the fears of her colleagues during the successful years. The film does not take Margaret's advice to focus on doing rather than feeling, and so loses both.