A Funnier Film Is Unforeseeable

During a radio interview, a British government official says that a proposed war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable." Thus begins the movie In the Loop, a hysterical political farce about U.S. and U.K. relations, and how this simple comment escalates into a possible declaration of war. To spoil the film would be impossible — I dare say it would be "difficult difficult, lemon difficult." There are so many great lines, a ton of great insults, and some splendid profanities that you may need to see the movie a second time to make sure you heard it all (check out the brilliant trailer below for a sampling). Performances across the board are really good; nearly every actor is so natural that it makes you think the whole thing's been improvised. (Who's in it? Well, David Rasche, Steve Coogan, and James Gandolfini for starters, but also Anna Chlumsky, from My Girl, and the very very funny Peter Capaldi, who plays the Prime Minister's press secretary.) And even though the film runs nearly two hours, you won't even notice because the laughs come so fast and furious and thus, the movie moves pretty quickly. How many jokes are there? Well, if it's any indication, there are two — TWO! — involving the movie I Heart Huckabees.

I love In the Loop, and I think I'll be quoting from it for quite some time. It's one of the smartest comedies to come along in a long while, and it's definitely one of my favorite movies so far this year. Check it out for yourself. If you don't, I may have to use you as a meat puppet. I'm giving In the Loop an A–.