Meryl Streep in Maggie Thatcher Drag

When do we not have opinions, darlings?

So they released the first picture of Meryl Streep done up as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for the currently shooting biopic, entitled The Iron Lady. Let's take a look:

It's sort of the same illusion that occured when she played Julia Child. You gasp the first time you see her, but after a while you realize she doesn't so much look like the original:

...as she does a sort of dragged up, Hollywood version of her.

Still, we have no doubt she'll be flawless in the role and her name will be bandied about for an Oscar before the film is even released. It's one of those big, showy roles an actress - especially an actress in her sadly under-represented age bracket - would kill to get. There were grumblings at the time of her casting that the role should have gone to an English actress. Americans probably wouldn't like Daniel Day-Lewis playing Ronald Reagan, so we kind of get where they're coming from. Personally, we think Helen Mirren could have knocked this one into the stratosphere. Still, Meryl will kill, as she always does with this kind of role, and the accent and mannerisms will be flawlessly British.

But doesn't she look kind of...unusually stylish here? That's a pretty sharp-looking jacket, all things considered. And the makeup is a bit too perfectly applied. Thatcher was a bit of a frump.

What say the commentariat? Do you buy it? Will you see it? Should it have gone to Helen Mirren? Or maybe they should have given it to Helena Bonham Carter and she could have played her like a shrieking madwoman?

[Photo Credit: Pathe Pictures, heironladymovie.co.uk]

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