In the Loop (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:128
Fresh:121
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: In the Loop is an uncommonly funny political satire that blends Dr. Strangelove with Spinal Tap for the Iraq war era.
Theatrical Release:Jul 24, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $2,251,324
Synopsis: IN THE LOOP is a fast-paced, lancet-witted ensemble comedy from first-time film director Armando Iannucci, based on his satirical BBC sitcom, THE THICK OF IT. The film tracks the lies,... IN THE LOOP is a fast-paced, lancet-witted ensemble comedy from first-time film director Armando Iannucci, based on his satirical BBC sitcom, THE THICK OF IT. The film tracks the lies, misunderstandings, good and bad intel, and PR blunders that escalate into a full-blown (fictional) crisis in the Middle East over the course of a few days, in a few conversations and meetings, in a few corridors of British and American power. Though played for laughs, the movie demonstrates how the most incidental factors (leaked papers, hastily spoken soundbites) and players (aides, interns, and low-level government officials) can influence the course of history. The pitch-perfect cast does a great job with Iannucci's script, improvising just enough to maintain the pseudo-documentary feel of the TV show. Even when the action gets loose and rollicking, the tone is tightly controlled satire, and the humor emerges organically from the situations and relationships at hand. Peter Capaldi, reprising his TV role, is hilarious as a foulmouthed, perpetually het-up Director of Communications for the British Prime Minister. Mimi Kennedy gives a droll but heartfelt performance as an antiwar U.S. diplomat and shares some touching and funny scenes with a more subdued than usual James Gandolfini as a U.S. general with surprising views on war. And Tom Hollander quietly steals the show as the hapless British Secretary of State for International Development whose careless remark in an interview sets off the events that catapult him into deeper waters than he has ever been in. [More]
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Mimi Kennedy, Steve Coogan, Anna Chlumsky
Director: Armando Iannucci
Director: Armando Iannucci
Screenwriter: Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Tony Roche, Simon Blackwell
Producer: Kevin Loader, Adam Tandy
Composer: Adem Ilhan
Studio: IFC Films
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for In the Loop
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
|
It's fantastic stuff, so over-the-top, so scabrous, so bitterly brilliant that you have to assume that, on some level, it rings true. Full Review |
|||
|
A relentlessly foul-mouthed political satire about an obscene process: the fabrication of a phony case for war to justify U.S. and British plans to invade the Middle East. Full Review |
|||
|
With that singularly British way of being clever and deliriously juvenile all at once, it's a scathing, laugh-out-loud bit of big-screen satire. Full Review |
|||
|
In the Loop is nonstop, go-go-go verbal action that makes Wag the Dog seem like a mind-numbing cricket match. Full Review |
|||
|
Think of it as a celebration of the craft of screenwriting. This British comedy is dense with brilliant, profane and telling dialogue, with laugh-out-loud zingers that just keep coming and coming -- though few can be quoted here. Full Review |
|||
|
It's as if Jane Austen and Monty Python collaborated on an episode of The West Wing... Full Review |
|||
|
If the corridors of power really are this dysfunctional, let's at least hope they're this funny, too. Full Review |
|||
|
The first thing that marks In The Loop as a break from the norm is its refusal to flatter the viewer's intelligence; the second, is the way the film forces them to use it. Full Review |
|||
|
There mayn't have been a funnier screenplay this year -- but the laughs are bitter ones. Full Review |
|||
|
A clever work of realistic fiction. Full Review |
|||
|
In the Loop skewers the recent Bush administration without resorting to the childish name-calling which sunk 'W.' Full Review |
|||
|
A vicious satire with ice in its veins and poison in its fangs. Full Review |
|||
|
The plot of this film is impenetrable but the dialog is hilarious and comes a staccato pace. This is a comedy of political backbiting, in-fighting, and out-fighting. Full Review |
|||
|
Whereas several recent films like the pompous 'Lions for Lambs' presented the current war in a didactically solemn tone, Iannucci has more to say by simply playing the crisis for laughs. Full Review |
|||
|
Painfully funny satire of British and American bureaucrats in the days leading up to the Iraq War. Full Review |
|||
|
It's one verbal skirmish after another, dominated by Capaldi, whose character is smoothly offensive and determined, dropping F-bombs with natural ease. Full Review |
|||
|
The film, while often very funny, is so relentlessly savage it could destroy whatever shred of respect you may still retain for politicians and that flogged horse called democracy. Full Review |
|||
|
This politically savvy, satirical piece deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. The way the film shows governmental 'war rooms' as being beset by petty, personal conflicts is positively enlightening. Full Review |
|||
|
One of the year's most intelligent (scripts), unifying political intrigue and backroom muckraking with stinging, pop-culture putdowns. Full Review |
|||
|
The brainchild of British director Armando Iannucci, it takes on the politicians at their own dirty game, daring to fictionally embellish the tawdry facts, to out-spin the spin doctors. Full Review |
Latest News for In the Loop
July 23, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Orphan Is Mixed Bag
This week at the movies, we've got an evil adoptee (Orphan, starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard), a battle of the sexes (The Ugly Truth, starring Katherine Heigl and... More...
May 25, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- In the Loop at Rotten Tomatoes
- In the Loop at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!








