The Political Farce In The Loop Doesn't Feel All Too Divorced From Reality

When you do topical comedy, there's always the chance that it may become dated years down the line and end up reading as incoherent to viewers years later. From 2009 specifically, I'm sure there are numerous sketches related to "balloon boy" and Jon And Kate Plus Eight that read like gibberish to 2018 viewers, hell, I'm still trying to figure out why we were all so obsessed with Jon And Kate Plus Eight! But then there's In The Loop, a political comedy from 2009 that was a critique of the war-driven politics of the 2000's but registers as plenty humorous in the modern age because it doesn't just rely on elements ripped from 2009 newspaper headlines. Peter Capaldi swearing profusely will always be funny, it's as timeless as anything in this universe!


In The Loop splits its time between the British government and the U.S. government as both administrations grapple with devastating war being on the horizon. Such trying matters require a delicate touch, something nobody in this story has. Our ostensible lead for the story is Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), the Secretary of State for International Development in the United Kingdom who can't seem to go in front of the TV cameras without saying something foolish. His new assistant, Toby Wright (Chris Addison) must accompany Simon to a visit to the U.S. while foul-mouthed Director of Communications Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) is breathing down their necks making sure nothing goes wrong.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government is dealing with a secret war committee that Karen Clark (Mimi Kennedy) is determined to discover. There are all kinds of other individuals that get wrapped up in all of this mayhem, including James Gandolfini as a Liteneuant, each with their own agendas to further but they all share the common trait of being incredibly self-serving. Even Malcolm Tucker, a guy who swears up a storm seemingly in order to help his country, turns out to be covertly working with American agents. There are no stalwart individuals in In The Loop, only people looking to make sure they somehow get to the top of the world at any cost.

That feels tragically true to the ruthless real world of politics and the screenplay (credited to four different writers, including the movie's director Armando Iannucci) seems to be keenly aware of that. Truth really is stranger than fiction, especially when that truth relates to the world of politics, and that allows In The Loop to take its chaotic farce of a story to some wild places without ever feeling like it's eschewing reality altogether. The subtle presence of reality is reinforced via camerawork that evokes handheld camerawork one may typically find in documentaries, a subtle aspect of the production that's superbly executed.

Of course, as said at the outset of this review, In The Loop finds plenty of humor in content that's entirely divorced from the world of real-life politics. The script is jam-packed with memorable pieces of dialogue, namely any of the various profane insults Capaldi's character gets to deliver while Tom Hollander's Simon Foster delivers a bunch of great yuks in depicting his character attempt to maintain composure to frequently futile ends (namely when he tries to explain what the phrase "All Roads Lead To Munich" means). There's also some great situational comedy emerging in the ever-escalating amount of chaos found in the third act, seeing the characters react to the ground constantly shifting beneath their feet is a whole lot of fun to watch.

Armando Iannucci makes his feature film directorial debut here and he shows real skill in executing such a high-wire premise. Farce comedy is a tricky thing to pull off, making sure chaos is pulled off just right can be a tricky proposition, but it's one he excels at here, especially since he has a knack for getting strong performances out of the numerous actors found in his ensemble cast, which includes an unexpected supporting turn from Zach Woods! When you've got a cast working like gangbusters with a script and direction this well-crafted, you end up getting a comedy like In The Loop that works sublimely whether you watch it in 2009 or 2079.