In the Loop
Posted by robert on December 27, 2010
Rating: NR
Release: 2009
Language: English
Runtime: 106 minutes
Plot: Political satire of the run-up to the Iraq War follows the mishaps of a fictional British cabinet minister and his US State Department counterparts.
Too soon? In the Loop (2009) didn’t wait for the cessation of combat operations in Iraq to venture a comedy about the War’s origins, and the official end of the War last August does little to lighten the weight of the film’s subject. But like Robert Altman’s MASH (1970), a shift in setting creates enough emotional distance for viewers to laugh at the tragically farcical lead-up to America’s latest imperial foray. For its American audience anyway, In the Loop’s change in vantage point, is two-fold; first, the film primarily follows a British cabinet minister, and second, when the plot reaches American soil, it features the political maneuverings of low-level State Department staffers. Filtered through the lens of political turf battles and public relations mishaps, over this film’s 106 minute runtime, comedy trumps tragedy.
Tom Hollander plays the equally earnest and incompetent Minister for International Development, Simon Foster, whose bumbling sound bites make him the pawn of both hawks and doves in the US State Department. Foster’s new press aide, Toby Wright (Chris Addison), does little to keep his boss from running afoul of Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), the Rahm-tongued operative representing No. 10 Downing St., as Foster first calls war “unforeseeable,” only to clarify that the UK may have to “climb the mountain of conflict.” Foster can’t keep his foot out of his mouth, despite himself, as he tries to repair a constituent’s collapsing retaining wall and sway the UN’s vote on war.
You’ll recognize a few faces in the supporting cast, including James Gandolfini as a dovish General, Zach Woods, The Office’s Gabe, as a State Department sycophant, and Anna Chlumsky, who you may not have seen since My Girl (1991), or My Girl 2 (1994) if you are less fortunate. All deliver solid performances, but Hollander and Capaldi stand out.
In the Loop scores some easy laughs through fish out of water mishaps, which are laughs nonetheless, but is at its best with snappy (or hilariously sloppy) dialogue (Disclaimer: if you are sensitive to obscenity-laced tirades you should avoid this film). Since we know how this story ends, the drama lies seeing who will retain their careers, pride, and/or their integrity through the political one-upmanship of operatives on either side of the Atlantic. You can’t see this laugh out loud movie too soon.
The Verdict:
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