In the Loop

Movie Review from The Movie Snob

In the Loop (B). I enjoyed this political satire of the furious machinations of a bunch of American and British politicos in the run-up to a fictitious war that America plans to launch against an unnamed country in the Middle East. When the movie begins, some spineless British minister has caused a minor uproar with a seemingly innocuous talk-show comment that war was "unforeseeable." Another British pol, who is a hilariously profane and rather cadaverous-looking weasel of a guy, rips the hapless minister apart--and shortly thereafter the poor sap puts his foot in his mouth again during a interview on the street. From there, we jet-set back and forth across the pond as a small group of oppositionists tries to throw some roadblocks up against the impeding war. Tom Hollander, who was perfect as the weenie Mr. Collins in the Keira Knightly-driven Price & Prejudice, is also perfect as weak-willed Brit Simon Foster. James Gandolfini (All the Kings Men) is also good as an American general who is opposed to the war in principle, but whose principles only go so far. And could this be the beginning of a big comeback by Anna Chlumsky, who charmed our socks off as a kid in My Girl and My Girl 2? Well, I never saw My Girl 2, but the first one was tolerable. Anyway, the movie is laugh-out-loud funny in many places as all sorts of scoundrels and fiends do their best to advance or thwart the war effort. Check it out.