02/25/10 - In the Loop

In the Loop (2009, 106 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226774/

In the Loop is a movie that had been recommended for a while but I'd never gotten around to checking out. The whole comedy centered around international relations plus a lackadaisical trailer somewhat delayed my viewing.

The film has a huge cast as it features an interplay of British and American politicians. For the British there are: Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), Toby Wright (Chris Addison), and Judy Molloy (Gina McKee). For the Americans there are: Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy), Lt. Gen. George Miller (James Gandolfini), and Liza Weld (Anna Chlumsky). The main plot centers around initiation of a war.

As you can see from above, there's quite a large cast. At first it's quite daunting as the viewer is just thrust into the middle of an incredibly hectic day so there's not really much greeting (well there is, but it's very hastily done because of this craziness). However, quite quickly everything begins to fall into place and it's easier to watch. Each character is stereotyped so as to clash with the others and it really works remarkably well. They all still manage to have a genuine "real" feeling so the entire group of everyone seems pretty believable. This, coupled with the satire adds another layer of humor to everything.

The humor of In the Loop is without a doubt it's high point. Naturally, this movie can be compared to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. While there, it's more a couple lines that make me laugh and just an entire atmosphere that makes me smirk, it's quite the opposite in In the Loop. For this film, I found myself constantly laughing while only occasionally smirking at the whole thing. It still worked incredibly well, so this isn't at all a flaw. For me, the funniest character was Malcolm Tucker who's quick wit and filthy vocabulary never left me unamused.

Next, for In the Loop, I really liked the camerawork. Normally, this isn't something I comment on, but I particularly liked how the camera jumped around in each scene. It gave a pseudo-documentary feel to it while also making sure you realized this was a movie. If I had to say what made me feel this way, I'd say that it was just how the camera changed focus from person to person. It never was static for too long and for some reason this really appealed to me as a viewer.

The only real flaw I have with In the Loop is it's overarching plot. While Dr. Strangelove has the constant threat of nuclear war in the background, the war of In the Loop never really seems as ominous. Dr. Strangelove uses the war to add to its humor, while I didn't feel that way so much with In the Loop. The war is there and it's always what they're talking about, but it's never quite as humorous as the way mutual nuclear assured destruction comes off in the former. I care less about the plot, really, as opposed to everyone interacting with each other. Maybe this was the main goal of the film, but it ends up just leaving a weak all around plot.

Overall, I gave this film an 8/10. In the Loop had me laughing probably more than any movie I've watched in the last year (for good reasons, not for just being so bad it was funny). But a weak plot hurts it a bit. However, I honestly think I could watch it tomorrow and it still be hilarious, so it gets a lot of credit for that.