Featured Post

Letterboxd Reviews

So as you know, I stopped writing lengthy reviews on this site this year, keeping the blog as more of a film diary of sorts.  Lo and behold,...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Movie Review - In the Loop (2009)

Starring Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky, Mimi Kennedy, and David Rasche
Written by Jesse Armstrong and Simon Blackwell
Directed by Armando Iannucci

I probably laughed as much (if not more) during this movie than in any other movie I've seen this year. It's a little unfortunate that there's not really any story here to back up the humor.

Although not a docu(or mocku)mentary, In the Loop is kind of shot in that style. The camera is always moving and slightly shaky as we follow the lives of both British and American politicians who are debating whether to go to war or not. That's it. That's the whole story. And that's the only thing stopping this flick from being one of my favorite of the year. There just wasn't enough story there, despite the fact that it was incredibly funny.

Acting across-the-board was top-notch. James Gandolfini will be the guy that everyone knows (and he was quite funny), but all the folks (including My Girl's Anna Chlumsky) were really great. In fact, there's not a single actor here to say anything bad about.

So, it's even more unfortunate that there's really no story here (or at least a story that matters in the slightest). When I originally left the movie, I was actually incredibly impressed with how nonpartisan this political flick was, but in retrospect, I almost wish that it had taken sides on war...it might have added some meat to this flick.

Still, this flick is absolutely worth seeking out. I laughed out loud more times than I can count.

The RyMickey Rating: B+

No comments:

Post a Comment