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Crappy film

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely Fantastic

To clear up some confusion this is essentially a spin-off of 'The Thick Of It' written and directed by the same people, with the same actors and some of the same characters. This is not a film of the show, it is using the show as a jumping off point through which to sharply and brilliantly satirize the political ineptitude which caused the Iraq War. In my opinion is it is just as funny as the original show, even at it's best.

In the Loop (2009): Dir: Armando Iannucci / Cast: Tom Hollander, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky: One of the funniest films ever made about politics, and perhaps the best of its kind since Dr. Strangelove or Network. This is a brilliant satire about lack of communication, misunderstanding and total confusion in its media frenzy. The film regards a corrupt British government that becomes the subject of a war against the Middle East when the Secretary of State uses the word "unforeseeable." He is played with bumbling hilarity by Tom Hollander whose word gains him unwanted attention that he must spin webs around in order to maintain some sort of dignity. Peter Capaldi steals the entire film as the communications chief who uses profanity like a machine gun when doing damage control. He must turn this around before the tension escalates to fatal heights on both margins. James Gandolfini steals scenes as a U.S. General whose opinion of war is that it is stupid. He lays claim to some of the funniest lines with blunt cynical delivery. Chris Addison also stars as a sort of spin doctor who causes more damage but manages to sleep with a hot young intern. Anna Chlumsky also appears in her best work since her stint in the My Girl films. Director Armando Iannucci delivers a brilliant film about flawed political communication. Score: 9 / 10

Aside from the fact that for reasons of continuity/plausibility several of the supporting characters from DoSAC had to be given slightly altered identities so they could play out a scenario on the international stage, this is very much part and parcel of the Thick Of It canon and of an equal level of excellence. There's an added dimension of gravity and sadness to it as rather than the usual DoSAC trivia the usual gang of idiots is dealing with the circumstances leading up to the Blair administration's facilitating the Bush administration's phony rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and that act of treachery is personified by the reckless, bumbling actions of Toby/Ollie and the scheming Malcolm Tucker, who as never before or after is shown as the hustling Machiavellian pawn of more powerful players. It's an important element in the continuity of the TV series as it explains why Ollie and Malcolm get such a savage comeuppance in the ensuing fourth series.

One of the best political satires (and comedies) ever made (think of the Seinfeld in-joke episode around 'War, what's it good for' while I was watching it). For the actual quote that makes this tale completely spiral outta control, you gotta watch this one.Brought my attention to 'My girl' and 'Veep' suck-up, Anna Chlumsky, and it's (aptly) ironic that almost all of the 'In the loop' alum are a part of the ongoing HBO political satire, 'Veep' (including one of the main makers, Armando Iannucci).Tom Hollander is fantastic, but the real scene-stealer, swearing and all, is Peter Capaldi (recently wasted in the Brad Pitt Zombie-actioner, 'World War Z, and amazingly perfect as the new Doctor). Gandolfini is as solid as anything he's been in, and switches on both menacing as well as 'gentle-bear' in spite of the cut-throat political setting. The only flaw, IMO? Steve Coogan, who's wasted (unless I'm missing the relevance/significance of his casting) in the 2 scenes he's in, that could've been filled in by just about anyone. Timely and topical, this might not change anything, but is peppered with 'in' jokes on the political processes in the UK and in Washington, and is a fun way to pass one's time. Almost every character is given something substantial to do, and the makers never lose sight of the fact that the humor is what this is about, and ensure its presence in spades.For a change, it did have a decent run during it's specialty release in '09, when I got to watch it more than once.