It’s pretty grim, this. A tale of tough times, reflecting today’s tough times, as told through the prism of a sad, haunted old woman. It’s not a bad movie or anything, and Streep is inevitably very good, but there’s not a lot in terms of new insight or entertainment. It’s a tidy little biopic, but it doesn’t manage to convey quite completely the weight of all she did, good and bad. It’s sober, restrained and ultimately a little flat because of it.
Grade: ***
