Here's the deal: The Iron Lady is a technically proficient movie anchored by an Oscar-winning performance, but it's not particularly good or engaging, especially for young viewers.

The film's biggest problem is its framing device—spending significant time with an elderly, dementia-affected Thatcher talking to hallucinations of her dead husband. It's meant to be poignant but mostly just makes the whole thing feel sad and slow. The back-and-forth between timelines is choppy, and the film never really decides if it's a political biography or a meditation on aging and loss.

For families, this might have value if you're specifically studying Margaret Thatcher or 1980s British politics, but let's be real: most teens will be bored out of their minds. The 51% critical score and 2.9/5 on Letterboxd tell the story—this is middling at best. It's not unwatchable, but it's definitely not something kids will choose or remember fondly.

If you want to teach about women in politics or controversial leadership, there are more engaging ways to do it. This feels like eating your vegetables—technically nutritious but not remotely fun.