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In the Loop (2009)

Average rating

(71%)

Starring:	Peter Capaldi \| Tom Hollander \| Gina McKee \| James Gandolfini \| Mimi Kennedy \| Anna Chlumsky \| Zach Woods \| Chris Addison \| Steve Coogan \| David Rasche
Director:	Armando Iannucci
Studio:	OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time:	106 mins
Collections:	100 Most Wanted
Genres:	Comedy
Languages:	English
Released:	August 24, 2009
Also available on:

IN THE LOOP is a foul-mouthed comedy that draws on non-specific events to create a world that is terrifyingly familiar: The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war, but not everyone agrees that war is a ‘good thing’. US General Miller (James Gandolfini – The Sopranos, The Taking Of Pelham 123) certainly doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander – Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice). But when the mild-mannered minister inadvertently appears to back the war on prime-time television, he immediately attracts the attention of the PM’s venomously aggressive communications chief Malcolm Tucker (reprised from The Thick of It by Peter Capaldi), who latches onto him like a hawk. Soon, the Brits are in Washington, where diplomatic relations collide with trans-Atlantic spin doctors and Foster’s off-hand remark quickly spirals into an insurmountable ‘mountain of conflict’.

Screenshots

Rating of 5 stars out of 5
Time Out

Cover your eyes: is this another well-loved sitcom dying an embarrassing death on the big screen? Far from it ...

Highest rated reviews

90 out of 91 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
Very funny political satire

mgreatrex from , 8th April, 2009

If you are a fan of political comedy, you will really enjoy this film and I must confess to not having seen the TV series it is spun off from, The Thick of It. This film has a good cast which demonstrates the political complexities and how a few miss timed words can hilariously de-rail the opposition to proposals. The plot could be conceived to be dangerously close to real life political events, which makes the way the arrive at the outcome truely scary! The No.10 character does use some offensive language, but it will always make you laugh - especially when used on the Americans! Brilliantly thrown into the mix are constituency matters which all MPs have -with Steve Coogan at his best - and I felt it was a cocktail for a very good film. Enjoy!

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Most recent reviews

Rated 4 stars
Office politics

TwoFatFeet from , 13th March, 2010

Well it's no good me offering a comparison to The Thick Of It because I've never seen it, but I can certainly say it reminded me of The Office in many respects. Simon Foster is the David Brent character, self-deluded and totally ignorant of the advice that if you find yourself in a hole, you should stop digging; Chad is an American Gareth, desperate to convince people of how important his job is; and Toby is the nearest thing to Tim, the bloke who actually does all the work but still finds time to poke fun at his superiors without them ever realising. The documentary-style filming and very natural performances also lead you to feel that much of this was semi-improvised but it's hard to believe that the cast could keep a straight face at times if that was the case. The plot itself maybe a little difficult to keep track of at times but it's thoroughly entertaining from start to finish - Peter Capaldi probably takes the top award for such a fantastic delivery of a relentless stream of world-class put-downs but it's a strong cast all round. Funniest moment is probably where General Miller is having to use a child's toy calculator to demonstrate potential losses in the event of war, managing to convey the gravity of the situation despite his every keystroke being accompanied by various boings and pings. Maybe not for those with sensitive ears or who need to be spoon-fed their jokes, but a word of advice for those who can sit through it to the end - make sure you watch the deleted scenes because some of the stuff on there is priceless.

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