March 7, 2010: In the Loop
A bit of a surprise Oscar nominee for its adapted screenplay, In the Loop is a feature-length follow-on from the acclaimed British TV series The Thick of It, a comedic look at the back-office realities behind international political intrigue. In the film and presumably in the series I haven’t seen, it is made clear that even among these people who nominally do in fact “run the world”, all the usual politicking and backstabbing and intra-office relationships and day-to-day pitfalls remain unavoidable. Add in some vehemently Type-A personalities and an obscenely large helping of foul language, and it’s wall-to-wall fun. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the originating TV series.
The particulars of the story concern a British foreign minister who, through an unthinking faux-pas during an interview, lets an actual opinion slip out into the open. The problem is that this has to do with US relations and whether or not another war should happen, so the spin doctors from both sides jump all over the comment and turn this minister into a sacrificial pawn in a high-stakes game among US and UK politicians and military staff, who tear him apart or elevate him depending on their own end-games. While this storyline is in a way neither here nor there (the film would likely have succeeded regardless of what invented political story it told), at the same time the specific ideas perhaps resonate even more because of recent geopolitical history and the absurdity of how many lives and livelihoods hang in the balance with such major global decisions arising from political gaffes and back-office deals.
In the Loop didn’t have the feel of a feature film. For me, its tone was much more along the lines of a made-for-cable movie, but I don’t think that’s necessarily bad. It gives the film more room to maneuver, and it would have felt strange for me to be seeing this in a movie theatre. Priceless supporting performances from the likes of James Gandolfini (from The Sopranos) and David Rasche (from the 1980s TV satire Sledge Hammer! among many other roles) perk up this film beautifully, and would also not have been out of place in a high-profile cable TV movie.
In the Loop pushes its originating series In the Thick of It high up on my priority list, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who isn’t completely turned off by coarse language and political intrigue.
Profane and hilarious. An absolute must-see.
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