Column:

'In the Loop' digs at modern-day politics

By Thomas Leonard

Published Sept. 15, 2009

In America, the political climate of the last decade has been grim, plagued with terror, dishonesty and distrust, and apparently, ripe for parody. This week, "In the Loop" turns America's national crises upside down and laughs in their face, and right now, against a backdrop of war, economic meltdown and public suspicion of policy makers, this irreverent, gut-busting farce is just the good laugh we need.

Spun-off from British television series, "The Thick of It," director Armando Iannucci's "In the Loop" is a refreshingly naughty, wonderfully foul-mouthed satire of politics in the U.K. and the U.S. Set in an alternate reality, there's no real politicians or diplomats, no mention of Sept. 11 or the Iraq War, but the vengeful, war-on-terror-hungry sentiments are a blaring wink-wink-nudge-nudge sign this should all be familiar.

"In the Loop" is an unabashedly confusing movie about a major misunderstanding. The comedy of errors begins when bumbling U.K. Minister for International Development Simon Foster (perfect Tom Hollander) publicly announces a full-scale war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable." Through this insane mishap and the ensuing media frenzy, we meet an uproarious array of American and U.K. politicians gathering for a secret war committee meeting at the White House.

In this dizzying third act, the film becomes muddled in unnecessary (albeit, entertaining) subplots. The confusing turns throw the viewer for a loop, but the pitch-perfect cast saves the film. James Gandolfini, out of his Tony Soprano comfort zone, works wonders as Lt. Gen. George Miller, a military man who does not think war is the answer. He and cohort U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Clarke (a bitchy, hilarious Mimi Kennedy) lead the American half of the cast with spot-on sarcasm.

Across the pond, Toby Wright (Chris Addison) is an unassuming aide on his first day taken along for the ride with the Prime Minister's Communication spin-man, Malcolm Tucker (a seriously funny Peter Capaldi). Nobody here is just going through the motions; every member of the ensemble is a high-energy, in-your-face stick of comedy dynamite.

The satire is nuanced perfectly by the feel of the film. The one-camera documentary style sometimes feels like we're watching a C-SPAN blooper reel of the Bush administration. And oh, the cursing! There is not a single expletive left out of the sailor-mouthed cast's repertoire. Although the relentless flinging of the F-word might be too much for some, it's all part of the film's irreverent middle finger to modern politics.

"In the Loop" is an unapologetic, devilishly funny parody that lampoons the international political climate in a way not seen since 1962's "Dr. Strangelove." Like that movie, the exact personalities and events are fictional, but just real enough to reach a greater climax than a good laugh. "In the Loop's" ludicrous mishaps show just how fallible our political system is, that one slip of the tongue could literally start a war.

This tantalizing tale of miscommunication is a laugh a minute, and the smartest comedy of the year; it's playing now at Ragtag Cinema. How long after will you be laughing at these jokes? Well, that's unforeseeable.