The Lady's not for watching The family of Margaret Thatcher have turned down an invite to see the Iron Lady at a premiere. The film's director Phyllida Lloyd said she could understand why the Thatchers would want to "step back" from the project. The movie has attracted criticism for the way it depicts Baroness Thatcher suffering from dementia. However, Ms Lloyd said the performance of Meryl Streep "took care" of the former Prime Minister's "dignity." She said: "I think most people who see the film will feel that Meryl's performance of the older Margaret really does take care of her dignity and we all felt that somehow the portrait of somebody who is experiencing a failure of strength and health and forgetfulness is not a shameful thing to put on the screen. We did make contact with the family sometime ago to tell them what we were trying to do but they perhaps quite understandably have sort of stepped back from the whole thing. They were the first people we invited to see the finished film. They didn't take up our offer and I can quite understand them not wanting to see it in the public gaze so we are not actually sure whether they have seen it or not. The film is said to be inspired by the book A Swim-On-Part in the Goldfish Bowl by Carol Thatcher, the daughter of the ex-premier.