In the Loop

Objective Rating (How much merit I think it deserves):
7/10
Subjective Rating (How much I personally like it):
8/10

Year released: 2009
Runtime: 106 minutes
IMDB page: here

If you are easily offended by lots of swearing, don't watch this. But then you'll be missing a great deal of fun. Not to mention the political satire and the creative cussin'.

Plot: Simon Foster, a bumbling British Cabinet Minister (Tom Hollander, the Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, the Lord Beckette from Pirates of the Caribbean), accidentally put in a word of dissent on radio when it comes to the war the Americans might be thinking of starting in the Middle East. Malcolm Tucker, the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, immediately starts a foul-mouthed, very un-PC rant as he goes about trying to fix things with the Americans, who are divided into war proponents led by US Assist. Secretary Linton Barwick and opponents led by Assist. Secretary Karen Clark and General George Miller of the Pentagon (oh don't worry, all the names and titles are actually part of the fun that is politics). Leaks, war committees, bathroom sessions, intern sex, fax machine stomping and lots more hilarity ensue.

Cast: Oh God. So perfect. Anyone who can utter those long strings of sensible obscenities at a supercharged machine-gun rate can only be comedy incarnated in human flesh. Every look, every stutter, every awkward silence... bravo.

Script: Er... Things happen at a blazing speed, mostly because people talk really fast. This definitely requires multiple viewings to squeeze out all the flavour, all that British dry humour. It's such piercing satire on the massive machine of politics, how at the end of the day people in suits are much sillier than us the commoners. Except they wield the power on how to start wars with real guns.

Production: Some of the shots have a frantic frenziness to them, as if the whole thing is seen through the eyes of one giddy, overwhelmed intern. I can't wait for the DVD to come out and we can hear about the backstage stories on how this movie was made.

Awesome way to invest your hour and 46 minutes. But you've gotta be super alert to catch all the nastiness that transpires.