In The Loop

In Burn After Reading, at the films finale, we discover that everything preceding it was a smorgasbord of chaos. The film is essentially one big joke, the end being the punch line. Some audiences were put off by this, while others appreciated what the Coen's were trying to say. I, for one, thought the film was excellent, and felt the ending lifted my spirits towards the movie, as opposed to leaving me feeling cheated. In the Loop is not Burn After Reading by any means, but the two do share a theme of political chaos, which lends each a certain hilarity that, I think, some will understand and others won't, which is a shame.

The chaos factor runs heavy throughout In the Loop's running time, and as everything becomes more and more tangled and confused, the more laughs there seem to be. The film portrays the political game as something so enormous and twisting, that is impossible to have everyone working within the system on the same page, saying the same things, doing what they are supposed to do. Which is likely fair, as governments, especially those of the featured Great Britain and United States, tend to be so sprawling in their reach that it's a wonder anything gets done properly at all. In the Loop doesn't follow so much a coherent story (though there is one), but instead follows characters caught in a machine, unable to escape, simply trying to survive. The politics are about war - whether going to or avoiding - yet every character in the film, all of them players in government or military, has their own opinion and thought of where their country stands. It's confusing and becomes much harder to follow the deeper it goes, but that is what makes the film so funny.

The writers, and there are a number of them, including director Armando Iannucci, do a brilliant job linking everything together, having the chaos build upon itself without it becoming too burdensome for the audience. The dialogue is quick and snappy, even when it is men and women screaming and swearing at each other. Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, and James Gandolfini each play their characters perfectly, some of them hapless idiots, other barking orders at anyone below their pay grade. While In the Loop is based off the British television series The Thick of It, the story seems to stand on its own, only a few characters crossing over, with most of the television cast playing different roles in the film.

Iannucci shot the film in a handheld, documentary style, with a considerable amount of improvisation by the actors, making the film feel more real. Again, this enhances the humor, if only because audiences can see the bits of truth about the inner-workings of government through this style.

This is a film definitely worth watching, a recommendation for those who find humor in politics, or in the everyday, chaotic bullshit of life. I'm glad the writers, who live and work in the U.K., spared no one in their skewering, giving both the U.S. and U.K. their dues. It's about time someone did.

Genre - Comedy (3.5)

Screenplay (4)

Acting (4)

Production (3)

Directing (3)