By Noah Redfield
Cinematic comedy is a depressing plane of existence at the moment, mostly consisting of irritating and borderline-misogynist slackers acting like adolescent twits, so whenever a film comes out that manages to generate laughs on an intelligent subject, it must be celebrated.
Therefore, if you only see one comedy this year, make it “In the Loop,” the directorial debut of acclaimed British humorist Armando Iannucci and the spin-off film of “The Thick of It,” a “West Wing” meets “The Office” sitcom which hopefully will achieve the stateside recognition it deserves as a result of the picture’s release.
The American president and British Prime Minister have decided to invade the Middle East, but that doesn’t stop Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, from declaring war “unforeseeable” during a live interview, much to the dismay of the PM’s foul-mouthed Press Coordinator, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi).
The issue is exacerbated when Foster, accosted by an onslaught of reporters, coughs up the bizarre sound byte, “We must be ready to climb the mountain of conflict.” In order to eliminate the risk of further embarrassment, Tucker sends Foster to Washington DC where he is further manipulated by General Miller (James Gandolfini) who is trying to prevent the invasion by whatever means necessary. The next hundred minutes chronicle the bureaucratic battles between political slime balls on both sides of the coin.
The film has already received comparisons to “Dr. Strangelove,” and while Iannucci’s directing owes more to Christopher Guest than Kubrick, both films nevertheless cover the madcap behavior of their characters in a disorienting sense of realism.
At no point does the film resort to zany musical cues or obnoxious flat lighting to indicate where the laughs are supposed to come. The screenplay, penned by Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche, is funny enough without those touches, and it successfully revives the art of swearing through some of the most outrageous profanities ever strung together in the English language. In addition, all the actors deliver their instantly quotable one-liners with the utmost sincerity, especially Peter Capaldi as the explosive Malcolm Tucker. Also look out for a marvelous cameo by Steve Coogan (“Tropic Thunder”) as an English citizen complaining about a wall.
The sign of an effective satire is how strongly the themes resonate with the viewer after the film ends. Ultimately, “In the Loop” isn’t just a film about swearing, it’s a film about war, and it’s held together by Foster, one of the few sincere politicians in the piece. We intimately share his struggle between backing the war-which is in all but name the invasion of Iraq-or taking a stand against it at the risk of his political career. It is this emotional anchor that keeps the humor grounded and allow the more important themes to take center-stage.
The less discerning viewer might be put off by a comedy that relies on plot mechanics for its laughs as opposed to witless non-sequiters, but those looking for a little something extra to chew on with their popcorn can’t afford to miss what promises to be the smartest and crucially the funniest film of 2009.
“In the Loop” will be released by IFC Films on July 17. Mark it on your calendars so you can go against the grain of moviegoers all queuing up for the latest “Harry Potter” installment. You shall not be disappointed.